Steve Alford is making the most of his time off since being fired by UCLA.
Alford spent time over the weekend in Tennessee learning from Rick Barnes and observing the Volunteers’ program. Barnes’ Vols beat Florida at home on Saturday to improve to 22-1 and 10-0 in SEC play.
On Monday, Alford was in Lexington to observe the Kentucky program as a special guest of John Calipari.
“He and I have been friends for a long time, so he said he wanted to come in for a couple days,” Calipari said, via Kentucky Sports Radio. “So he’s here today. I don’t think he’s staying for the game, but he’ll watch us practice. He’ll be at the radio show tonight. I’ve known him for 30 years or so. He’s a great guy. Terrific coach.”
This is how it’s like in the coaching fraternity. Many of the coaches are friendly or at least have professional relationships with one another. Sometimes they open up their programs to coaches looking to learn or perhaps get an “in” for a potential job.
Alford was fired by UCLA in late December after starting the season 7-6. That followed a disappointing 21-12 season. He also had a losing year in his third season with the Bruins. Alford’s next move is unclear, but he should be armed with some knowledge of what he can do better next time.
