Getting Close?

E-mailed 4/3/11

Here's what is know:

(1) Board of Curators are holding a 7:45 pm meeting Monday night. Starts out as open door meeting, they "will entertain" the motion to close the meeting. Sources say the Curators have announced they are talking about personnel decisions and contract terms.

(2) No comment (as of yet) from MIZZOU athletics.

(3) New Mexico newspapers cite three different coaches at Final Four who say Steve Alford has signed on to be next MIZZOU coach.

(4) Alford was considered when we hired Anderson.

(5) Alford directly told a New Mexico newspaper that neither he nor his agent have been contacted by MIZZOU.

(6) The UM System has an open position of President.

My take: who the hell knows what is happening Monday night. It's most likely to do with the System Presidency. That being said, it's around the start time of the Final Four and all press will be focused on the game. That would allow the vote to happen and reports wouldn't surface about the coach until Tuesday when we'd be allowed to announce.

Alfred said he hasn't been contacted by MIZZOU but don't put too much stock in that answer: he's a known liar. He's also a middle-of-the-pack, at best, coach. After leading the Mighty Southwest Missouri Teacher's College Bears for several years before "pulling an Anderson" and saying he was going to be there long term before leaving to go to Iowa after he was passed over to be Bob Knight's successor at Indiana (he went there and was a star). After middling around Iowa for several seasons he was in the process of getting fired when he quit and took a job at New Mexico.

The problem with hiring a young coach from a mid-major conference is that you don't know if he can make the jump and perform in a power conference. Maybe he can, maybe he can't. The problem with hiring Alfred is that we know he can't perform in a power conference.

In other news the academic adviser for the basketball team is the new interim Head Coach. I'd be in favor of keeping her on over hiring Alfred as she at least has a 50/50 shot at making the leap and being successful.

Let's hope tomorrow night we celebrate a new UM Systems President.