Indiana Basketball: All-time starting live under head coach Bob Knight

Guard – Steve Alford (1983-1987)

College Basketball fans are very familiar with Alford. The current head coach at Nevada has had a very successful stint as a coach of Iowa, New Mexico, UCLA, and now Nevada. What many of the fans don’t know or remember is that Alford was one and is still considered one of the best players in Indiana history. Not only was he one of the best players in Hoosier history he was ranked as one of the best college basketball players of all time. Alford also spent some time in the NBA but did not have near the success as Thomas did.

Alford grew up in Indiana and dreamed of playing for the Hoosiers when he was a kid and was good enough to earn Mr Basketball his senior year in High School. After he arrived at Indiana he instantly became a star. The guard started 120 out of the 125 games he played he led the NCAA in free throw shooting at 91.2 percent and left the Hoosiers as the leading scorer in school history with 2,438 total points. Alford currently sits at number 2 overall in scoring at Indiana. His senior year he was the best player on the team that went 30-4 and won the NCAA title. It was the fifth title in Indiana history and the final one for coach Knight.

Alford left Bloomington as the fourth best free throw shooter in NCAA history. The guard was a first team All-American in 1986 and 1987, a first team All-Conference pick three seasons in a row, Big Ten Player of the Year in 1986 and 1987,and the Big Ten MVP. All of those things resulted in Alford getting drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the NBA draft.

Alford has followed in his mentor’s footsteps as a College Basketball coach and was very emotional after his former coach passed, fighting back the tears saying how much he loved Coach Knight. Alford will always have a special place in Bloomington and since Indiana doesn’t retire numbers 12 will never be in the rafters but it should be.