Steve Alford says he’s in Nevada for the long haul

RENO, Nev. (AP) — New Nevada coach Steve Alford said he’s hungry for the chance to take the Wolf Pack to the next level.

About 300 supporters joined cheerleaders and a pep band at the Lawlor Events Center on Friday as Nevada formally introduced Alford as the successor to Eric Musselman, who left for the head coach’s job at Arkansas this week.

Alford got a 10-year deal and he said he intends to finish his career with the Wolf Pack.

Alford is returning to the Mountain West Conference, where he had some of his biggest successes. He spent six seasons at New Mexico, leading the Lobos to the NCAA Tournament three times. He went from there to UCLA, where he had some early success before subsequent struggles led to his firing on New Year’s Eve.