On Dec. 22, on the heels of a 14-point loss to Ohio State that knocked his team to 7-5 on the year, UCLA head coach Steve Alford told the media that he coached for an “audience of one,” referencing his faith in a higher power. Now, following a 15-point loss to Liberty, Alford isn’t going to coach for anyone any time soon.
According to a report by Seth Davis of The Athletic, UCLA has decided to fire Alford, as the loss to Liberty marked four losses in a row for a coach who was already feeling the heat heading into the 2018-19 season.
BREAKING: UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero has decided to terminate Steve Alford as basketball coach, @TheAthleticCBB has learned. Official announcement expected tomorrow. No indication yet who will serve as interim coach for remainder of the season.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) December 31, 2018
Shortly after noon on Monday, UCLA made it official, handing the reigns over to assistant and former East Tennessee State coach Murry Bartow.
https://twitter.com/Sam_Vecenie/status/1079785463433416704
It not a surprise that Alford’s out of a job, as the team is 7-6 this season with losses to two mid-major programs in Belmont and Liberty. While both of those schools have good basketball teams, UCLA is a basketball blue blood, and between losses to mid-major schools and blowout losses to objectively elite programs like Michigan State and North Carolina, the situation had become untenable.
Alford came to Westwood from New Mexico in 2013. In his time at the helm, which spanned a little more than five years, the Bruins went 124-63 with a 55-35 mark in conference play. Under his guidance, UCLA never won the Pac-12 regular season crown, won the Pac-12 tournament once, and never advanced past the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
