University of Nevada basketball head coach Steve Alford and his wife, Tanya, grew up in New Castle, Indiana. A childhood friendship has resulted in 37 years of marriage and three kids.
Steve Alford, 60, had his entire life surrounded by basketball from a young age. As a kid, he only missed two games when his father, Sam Alford, was a basketball coach for Monroe City’s high school team.
At New Castle High School, Adams averaged 37.2 points per game, which won him the Indiana “Mr. Basketball” award. This resulted in him getting a call-up for the 1984 US Olympic team.
Alford won the Gold Medal with the Bob Knight-coached US team and later joined Knight at Indiana University Bloomington.
Steve was a star at the university, winning the team’s MVP title four times. After stunning four years with the Hoosiers, Alford declared for the NBA Draft in 1987.
The Dallas Mavericks selected Alford as the 26th overall pick, but Steve’s NBA career didn’t last long.
His style of play didn’t translate well in the NBA, as he struggled against stronger and faster guards.
Steve played five seasons in the NBA, most of those years with the Mavericks and one season with the Warriors.
As soon as he retired as a player, Steve became a head coach for Manchester University in 1991. He has coached six college teams in 33 years, having joined the University of Nevada in 2019.
Steve Alford’s Wife, Tanya Alford, Loves Giving Back To The Reno Community
The basketball coach, Steve Alford, met his wife, Tanya, when they were in the fifth grade.
The friendship turned into love during their time at New Castle High School. Tanya then followed Steve to Indiana University Bloomington.
Tanya was Steve’s training buddy. She would rebound for him at the university’s gym.
One day, while training, Steve asked Tanya to climb the ladder and fix the net caught on the rim.
As Tanya reached to fix the net, she saw an engagement ring on the back of the rim. Steve got down on a knee and proposed to her right then and there. Then, the couple tied the knot a year later in 1987.
The pair have strong religious values and are Christians. In an interview, Steve even said he is a Christian first and a family guy second.
In a 2015 interview with The New York Times, Tanya said she had learned to enjoy the stress of becoming a basketball head coach’s wife. Tanya said:
Dealing with the ups and downs of this game is what we’re used to because basketball is part of the our family’s DNA.
via: The New York Times
Since arriving in Nevada, Tanya has focused on serving the community.
She started the Wolf Pack Express and distributed goodies with a few Wolf Pack players in children’s hospitals.
Additionally, she is on the local Make-A-Wish Foundation board and spearheaded the “Swish for a Wish” campaign in 2024 and raised more than $30,000.
In an interview with Nevada Sports, Tanya said she wanted the team to realize it is bigger than basketball and that raising money for the children in the Nevada community is part of the healing process.
Steve And Tanya Alford’s Sons Followed In Their Dad’s Footsteps
Steve and Tanya Alfrod are parents to two sons, Bryce and Kory, and a daughter, Kayla Alford.
The two sons of the basketball coach loved the sport as much as their dad.
When they were kids, Steve would encourage his boys to tune their shots by having them toss Ping-Pong balls into Pringles cans.
This fostered rivalry and competitive spirit between the two boys.
Steve would write down the names of the NBA teams on the balls and create their brackets for that championship.
Kory Is The Head Coach At Huntington University, And Bryce Is On His Way
The oldest child of Steve Alford and his wife, Tanya Alford, Kory Alford, 32, played high school basketball at La Cueva High School.
He averaged 15 points per game and 3.4 assists per game as a senior.
Kory won back-to-back New Mexico Class 5A state tiles with the squad.
The oldest Alford kid enrolled at New Mexico and joined UCLA in his junior year.
During his time between New Mexico and UCLA, Alford won three conference tournament titles and two regular season crowns.
He graduated from UCLA with a Sociology degree in 2015 and became their Video and Analytics Coordinator for three years.
As Steve exited from UCLA, so did Kory. In 2019, he joined the University of Nevada, Reno, as their Director of Player Development.
A year later, Kory received an opportunity to become head coach at Huntington University, which he gladly accepted.
He is married to Haley Alford and became parents to a son, Kai Andrew Alford, on June 30, 2023.
Steve coached his two sons at UCLA for two seasons, as Bryce joined his brother and dad in 2013.
Bryce averaged 8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game during his freshman year, earning him Pac-12 All-Freshman team honors.
In his senior season, Bryce played 36 games and averaged 15.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, starring alongside Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf.
After going undrafted in the 2017 Draft, Bryce joined the G-League team Oklahoma City Blue.
Bryce left the US and joined the German team Medi Bayreuth in 2019.
After playing two seasons with European teams, Bryce returned to the US to play with the Chicago Bulls G-League team Windy City Bulls.
In 2022, Bryce returned to Europe and played for the Polish team Zastal Zielona Gora. He also played for two other European teams, BK Pardubice and Arka Gdynia.
Bryce, 30, retired as a basketball in 2024 and joined his first G-League team, Oklahoma City Blue, as their assistant coach.
Bryce is married to Ali Alford, and the couple share a son. He is available on Instagram and shares family photos occasionally.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- In November 2024, Steve Alford made history with his 100th win at Nevada. He joined coaching legend Lefty Driesell by becoming one of only two Division I coaches to achieve 100 victories at four schools.
- In 2002, Alfrod stood up for his basketball player Pierre Pierce after he faced third-degree sexual assault charges, resulting in him facing backlash. Pierce went on to commit another crime in 2004, resulting in him getting arrested again.
