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Steve Alford |
Steve Alford is far from being a rookie head coach, having patrolled the sidelines for 17 seasons at four institutions. However, his maiden voyage as the leading man at the University of New Mexico made a helluva first impression to everyone around Lobo basketball.
First, a look back at what Alford inherited upon being named the program's 19th head coach on March 23, 2007:
- Four returning starters from a somewhat unpredictable bunch that finished 2006-07 at 15-17, only the proud program's second losing season in the previous 24 years, including a disconcerting 4-12 in the league, tying TCU for last place. The Lobos lost 12 conference games for the first time since 1959, and were 2-12 away from The Pit, 1-10 in true road games.
- On Oct. 4, 2007 - about six months into Alford's tenure at UNM - senior wing Tony Danridge broke his leg and would miss the 2007-08 season. Danridge had started all 32 games the previous season.
Fast forward to late March of 2008 and Alford's length of accomplishments in just 12 months at UNM are historical:
- With essentially the same players as the previous year, except for a starting freshman point guard in Dairese Gary, Alford's first Lobo team finished 24-9, tying the school mark for wins during the regular season and making a 9-win improvement from the previous year
- Alford set a school record for most wins by a New Mexico head coach in his rookie season
- After going 8-43 in true road games in five seasons (2003-07) before Alford was hired, UNM went 8-6 in 2007-08 to equal a school record...UNM finished the season with 4 straight conference road wins for the first time since 1998
- Three long losing streaks were broken in 2007-08...the Lobos won 99-92 in double overtime at Wyoming, ending a 10-game losing skid to the Cowboys in Laramie...UNM had lost 7 in a row at Air Force before grounding the Falcons at Clune Arena...then, three days later, an unsightly 18-game drought came to a halt in Salt Lake City as New Mexico pulled off a 72-71 victory over Utah...it was the Lobos' first win against the Utes at the Huntsman Center since 1989
- New Mexico was a +9 in wins from 2006-07, the 5th-biggest improvement in school history
- The Lobos were a +7 in conference victories in 2007-08, the 2nd-greatest jump of all-time and an argument could be made it's the largest ever...during World War II - when schedules were abbreviated - UNM fashioned a 3-0 record in the Border Conference in 1944 with all three wins coming against Texas Tech...the Lobos jumped to 12-0 in 1945 for an improvement of +9
- Defense returned to the floor as New Mexico held opponents to just 41.0% shooting from the floor, the 4th-lowest by a Lobo team in the past 43 years...opponents averaged 62.7 points a game, the 2nd-lowest since 1983-84
Arguably the biggest accomplishment for Alford was his ability to teach, blend and mold an undersized and possibly less talented group into a cohesive unit that became the epitome of "team" basketball. He changed the mindset and work ethic of the program and the Lobos responded by playing the game "the right way."
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Don Flanagan |
The winningest coach in New Mexico women's basketball history, Don Flanagan has nurtured the Lobo program into an upward-rising basketball powerhouse. In 12 years at the helm of the New Mexico program, Flanagan has guided the Lobos to 11 consecutive winning seasons and 10 straight postseason appearances, including seven trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Suprisingly, Flanagan received his first individual award in 2004-05 as he was named MWC Coach of the Year and his second award in 2005-06 as he was named Russell Athletic/WBCA Region Seven Coach of the Year. Under Flanagan's guidance, the Lobos have finished in the upper half of the Mountain West Conference for six straight years and were in the upper echelon of the WAC before joining the MWC. Flanagan took over this struggling program in 1995 and the Lobos have improved to a remarkable 263-113 (.699). They've captured three regular-season conference championships, five conference tournament titles (four in a row in the MWC from 2004-07) and have made 10 consecutive postseason appearances.
Flanagan became the school's all-time leader in victories in 1999-2000, surpassing Doug Hoselton's previous mark of 89 from 1980-87. Amazingly, Flanagan took just 133 games to reach 90 wins for his career, while Hoselton won 89 in 194 tries. Of course winning is nothing new for Flanagan - in fact he is winning almost as much now as in his previous job as head girl's coach at Albuquerque's Eldorado High School, where he compiled an astounding 401-13 record and won 11 state championships in 16 years.
Under Flanagan, UNM has become a consistent threat to win the conference title, as the Lobos have finished no worse than third in each of the last nine seasons. Flanagan's teams have become noted for their stifling defense. New Mexico has finished among the conference leaders in scoring defense every year and has consistently ranked in the top-20 in the nation in that category as well. Fan support has been tremendous as a result of the Lobos' defense and intense style of play. Last season the Lobos finished fourth in the nation in average attendance for the fourth straight season with 10,354 fans a game. The Lobos had seven crowds in excess of 10,000.
In 2005-06 Flanagan led the Lobos to a 22-10 mark and a third place finish in the Mountain West Conference at 11-5. The Lobos were ranked for 16 consecutive weeks, including a No. 16 ranking, which is the highest in school history. New Mexico also won its first ever road game against a top-25 team with a win at then No. 12 Texas, as well as its first NCAA Tournament win away from The Pit with a victory over Florida in Tucson, Ariz. New Mexico finished the 2004-05 season with an overall record of 26-5 and finished first in the MWC at 12-2. In the postseason, UNM won its third consecutive MWC Tournament title and earned its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos also received their first ever ranking in the Associated Press top-25, reaching 23rd.
In 2003-04, UNM finished the season with an overall record of 23-8. In the regular season UNM was 20-7 and finished first in the Mountain West Conference at 12-2. In the postseason, the Lobos won the Mountain West Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos for the first time in school history led the country in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. During Flanagan's tenure at New Mexico the Lobos have rewritten the women's basketball record book and have chalked up many historical moments.
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