Steve Alford says he is '100 percent' committed to UCLA, has no interest in Indiana
UCLA's season came to an end on Friday with an 86-75 loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament. And it appears one of the most intriguing off-season storylines has come to an end, as well.
After much speculation that Bruins' head coach Steve Alford would accept the Indiana job, he was asked about it again following UCLA's loss. And in a surprise said he was "100 percent" staying in Westwood.
This came after Alford had repeatedly refused to directly answer questions about the Hoosier job.
"I am absolutely 100 percent not going to Indiana," Alford said. "Staying at UCLA. I am happy. Love it here. Have a great class coming in, and brand-new practice facility. Obviously, I love my alma mater. Committed to UCLA. I am not going to talk to Indiana. I am staying a Bruin."
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Say this for Alford: That is about as affirmative an answer that any coach can give.
Why he elected to give this answer, at this specific time, is probably where the nuance lies.
There's the possibility that Indiana is no longer interested in him as a candidate and that he's giving this statement to save face. There's also the chance that he is simply saying it, and that he might still end up in Bloomington. Nick Saban once famously denied interest in the Alabama football job and subsequently accepted it. Same with former Kansas hoops coach Roy Williams, who eventually ended up at North Carolina.
Of course, there's also the possibility that he does want to come back to UCLA. The Bruins have a strong returning core, which should include guard Aaron Holiday and forward Thomas Welsh, as well as one of the nation's top recruiting classes with McDonald's All-Americans Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes. It's not likely that the Bruins will be as good as this season, but they also shouldn't fall far, either.
