Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports
After parting ways with head coach Ben Howland this off-season, the UCLA Bruins brought in former New Mexico Lobos head coach Steve Alford as his replacement.
A new coach and a new contract, you can obviously assume that Alford is in town for the long haul and the last thing that may come to mind is him moving elsewhere. But you know how things work. What if the Bruins struggled early on in Alford’s tenure? What if something happened? What if another school is interested in bringing Alford on themselves? The possibilities can’t be predicted — but then again, may they can be.
Related: Washington Huskies, Lorenzo Romar Scoop Up Quality Commitment in 2014 SF Donaven Dorsey
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, Alford’s contract includes a buyout clause that totals $10.4 million. Talk about a hefty sum, especially in collegiate athletics. In fact, that buyout clause is four times as much as Alford will make on a per year basis with the Bruins.
So long story short, don’t expect Alford to go anywhere any time soon, regardless of the fact that he was just hired this past spring. The buyout clause in Alford’s contract runs through the year 2016 and it appears that the Bruins have instated this into his contract so he can’t up and leave them for another school — just like he did with New Mexico.
Buyout clause or not, UCLA is one of the most traditional rich programs in college basketball history — it’s a dream scenario for Alford, so why would he ever want to leave early? He will have the sophomore trio of Kyle Anderson, Tony Parker and Jordan Adams at his disposal right away, so we will see what he can do with the Bruins in year number one of that lucrative contract.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
