March 18, 2010

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -

New Mexico head men's basketball coach Steve Alford has been named a finalist for the 2010 Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year, announced today by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. He is joined on the ballot by Kentucky's John Calipari, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and Kansas State's Frank Martin.

In his third season at the helm of the Lobos, Alford led UNM to a 29-4 record en route to a second straight Mountain West Conference regular-season title. New Mexico, who was picked to finish fifth in the MWC in the league's preseason poll, has already set a school record for wins in a season, and earned a No. 3 seed in the East Region of the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, the highest in MWC history. The Lobos have been ranked in the Top-25 polls for eight consecutive weeks entering postseason action, and are currently listed at No. 8 in the Associated Press poll and No. 10 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' poll.

The Naismith Award has become the most prestigious award in all of college basketball, recognizing the Men's and Women's College Basketball Player of the Year, Men's and Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the game. The 2010 finalists were voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's National Voting Academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. The academy based its criteria on coaching performances this season. The vote was tabulated and certified by the accounting firm of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP. HA&W is the largest independent accounting firm in Georgia and one of the top 50 firms in the United States.

For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.

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