Steve Alford’s former UCLA player takes savage shots at him after Nevada’s exit

Feb 27, 2023; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Nevada Wolf Pack head coach Steve Alford reacts against the Wyoming Cowboys during the second half at Arena-Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Steve Alford is hearing it from one of his old UCLA players.

Alford’s Nevada team bowed out on the first day of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. As a No. 10 seed, they blew a 17-point lead with just over seven minutes left to play in the second half to No. 7 seed Dayton and lost 63-60.

After the game, one of Alford’s former players decided to rub some salt in the wound.

“Steve Alford been one of the worst coaches in college basketball history,” ex-UCLA center Tony Parker wrote on X. “he sucks and he [has had the] lame same haircut for 40 years hairspray gotta be cookin his brain.”

Steve Alford been one of the worst coaches in college basketball history he sucks and he lame same haircut for 40 years hairspray gotta be cookin his brain

— tony parker (@tonyparker32) March 21, 2024

Parker played for Alford on UCLA for three years from 2013-16 (after playing for Ben Howland in his freshman season). He was a regular starter for the last two of those seasons but was often played out of position as a 4. Parker never quite seemed to see eye-to-eye with Alford either, even taking subtle shots at him during their time together at UCLA.

Alford was ultimately fired by UCLA in the middle of the 2018-19 season and took the head coaching job at Nevada months later. He has gone 96-58 (.623) overall with the Wolf Pack but failed to make the NCAA Tournament altogether through his first three years (though there was no tournament in 2020), lost in the First Four during his fourth season, and now suffered a first-round exit in his fifth season. With Alford’s latest disappointment, Parker is among those who are feeling vindicated.