Steve Alford and UCLA Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

Coming off of the school's best NCAA tournament performance since 2008, the UCLA Bruins have rewarded head coach Steve Alford with a contract extension. 

According to Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports, Alford's agreement with the Bruins is a one-year pact that takes his deal through the 2020-21 season:

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UCLA announces a one-year contract extension for Steve Alford, keeping him there through the 2020-21 season.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 3, 2014"

Alford took over a fledgling UCLA program under Ben Howland last year and made an immediate impact. The Bruins won 28 games in the regular season and made it to the Sweet 16 before losing to Florida. It was the first time since 2011 that UCLA won a tournament game. 

However, Alford's task this season will be difficult because he lost Zach LaVine, Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson to the NBA. The Bruins head coach doesn't seem to mind rebuilding his roster, telling Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News he relishes the challenge.

"You have to have recruiting classes back-to-back-to-back to really establish yourself," Alford said. "Because you want the attrition. If you get guys that are being drafted, that means good things are happening and you obviously want that to happen."

It certainly sounds like Alford has the magic elixir to keep talent coming to UCLA, as 247Sports lists the Bruins as having the seventh-best recruiting class for the 2014 season and three recruits ranked as a 4-star or better. 

Even Daniels of Scout.com pointed out that Alford's recruiting track record is even more impressive when you factor in what he did upon first arriving at UCLA:

Despite the incoming talent, Alford will undoubtedly have his work cut out for him in the 2014-15 season. He's one of the few coaches equipped to deal with a new roster and a mountain of expectations, coming to UCLA following years of declining results under Howland. 

Alford has had success everywhere he's been, leading three schools to the NCAA tournament and winning at least 20 games in nine of the last 10 years. There might be impossible standards to meet at UCLA because of John Wooden's looming shadow, but being a product of Bob Knight from his playing days at Indiana, Alford is going to do just fine.