SAN JOSE, Calif. — The coaching paths of Brad Stevens and Steve Alford haven't crossed too much, but the 33-year-old Butler coach knows all about the New Mexico head coach.

Not only has Stevens recruited five players to Butler — two current, three former — from Alford's New Castle, Ind., high school, but the baby-faced Bulldogs leader from Zionsville, Ind., can remember shooting hoops in his driveway as a kid trying to be like Alford.

"When you're a kid growing up in Indiana in the '80s," Stevens said, "and I was in fourth grade in 1987 when (Indiana University) won it all, everyone of us knew who Steve Alford was. And everyone of us went out to the driveway and tried to shoot like him. Very few of us had success in that regard, but he was — yeah, he's a legend of the game in Indiana, there's no question about it."

Told of Stevens comments, Alford had a quick summation.

"That means I'm getting way too old," Alford said.


Yes, there really are two teams from New Mexico that made the NCAA Tournament, even if one of them, New Mexico State University, lost Friday night.

After UNM's Thursday win over Montana, Alford pointed out the frustration his team sometimes feels when the rest of the country doesn't seem to know who they are.

Leading up to Thursday's game against Montana, ESPN had a segment breaking down the Lobos roster while a minute-long highlight reel of the NMSU Aggies was playing.

"If you look at what we've done, we've had an incredible body of work, yet the guys watch TV and they start talking about New Mexico and they see New Mexico State highlights," Alford said. "So they got a chip on their shoulder. They know we're nowhere near where we want to get to in the level of respect, but that's coming. They were talking in the locker room, 'Hey, we swept them this year. Wrong team. Wrong highlights. But I think that helps you going from game to game."

But you can't just blame the media on this one.

The NCAA media relations team putting together notes for reporters after Thursday's Montana win included a reference to the Lobos' last Sweet 16 appearance being in 1992.

NMSU made the Sweet 16 that year, but UNM has never made the "Sweet 16."

They've been in the round of 16 before they dubbed it "Sweet," but that was long before the NCAA expanded the tournament field to first 64 and now 65 teams.


The Lobos were very loose and in a joking mood at Friday's media sessions before a closed practice at HP Pavilion.

Junior forward Darington Hobson even felt comfortable enough disclosing some rather personal injury information.

Asked how his back was after a hard fall in Thursday's win over Montana, Hobson clarified what was really hurting.

"It was my butt, actually," said Hobson, whose teammates call him Butter. "I fell on that and on my left hand. It's just sore and they've been stretching me out and trying to rub some of the soreness out. It's kind of weird, but, they rubbed my butt a little bit to get some of the soreness out and there are no excuses."

Hobson's medical explanation left teammates Dairese Gary and Roman Martinez trying to hide their laughter while sitting on a stage answering media questions.


Stevens wasn't the only coach heaping praise on Alford on Friday.

Washington's Lorenzo Romar said Alford is one of the funniest people he knows and added the coaches' wives — Tanya Alford and Leona Romar — are very good friends.

Told Alford had nice things to say about him, Romar, at first, acted shocked.

"I don't believe Coach Alford said anything nice about me at all," said Romar with a deadpan face.

Romar and Alford both admitted to becoming through the years very good friends and both talked about the respect they have for one another.

Friday's love fest isn't expected to spill over into today's game.

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3060 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog at grammerschoolblog.com.