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Those empty seats weren't intended to spite Alford...they were just empty.
The fact that Alford cited New Mexico's facilities and commitment to basketball in Friday's press conference should be a red flag for Iowa followers. New Mexico is willing to spend up to $20 million to upgrade the Pit, and already boasts a sparkling new practice venue. Their new athletic director, Paul Krebs, has made upgrading the basketball program a stated goal.
Iowa's new athletic director, Gary Barta, is buying up hostile domain names and redirecting them to the athletic website. Now he's faced with his first critical coaching hire, one that will start to define his legacy and impact how Hawkeye fans remember the Alford departure.
The talent at Iowa is another issue. Adam Haluska carried this year's team to a winning record. His only support came from Tyler Smith, who will likely follow Alford to New Mexico—or at the very least transfer from Iowa. With the status of recruits and incoming transfers uncertain, there is literally no one else to build around.
The 42-year-old Alford was a big name for the Iowa program, one that drew national media attention—and more than a few recruits—to Iowa City.
If the athletic department can snag a Pearl, Few, or Gillispie, then Alford's departure is a
win-win. However, because of the aforementioned deficiencies at Iowa, I think a more realistic, mid-major candidate pool would include Dana Altman (Creighton), Chris Lowry (S. Illinois), and Gregg Marshall ( Winthrop).
The Hawkeyes shouldn't expect any more from those three than they got out of Steve Alford.
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