Insider: Can Bryce Alford do what his father couldn't?
INDIANAPOLIS — Bryce Alford knew a few reasons why the Indiana Pacers invited him to their predraft workout Monday.
He is the son of Steve Alford, the standout player who helped lead the Indiana Hoosiers to the 1987 national championship. Alford also spent part of his childhood in Indiana. And yes, Alford also knows there’s a chance the Pacers could select him with their second-round pick in next month's NBA draft — something the franchise didn’t do when his father was eligible for the 1987 draft.
“Oh, there’s no question,” Alford said with a smile when asked if he would hold such over his father if the Pacers selected him. “I would never let him live that down. We’re as competitive a household as there is, so if I had that on him, that would be huge.”
Watching the younger Alford during the workout was Donnie Walsh, the Pacers’ invaluable advisor who, as the team’s general manager in the 1980s, made the decision to select Reggie Miller over the elder Alford with the 11th overall pick. Walsh was one of many observers Monday inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse who watched Alford swish 3-pointer after 3-pointer in several shooting drills.
Alford, a 6-3 combo guard, did his best to display his top skill, the same skill that made his father an exceptional player. Through it all, Alford smiled and was eager to cherish the chance to make an impression on the Pacers’ front office and coaching staff.
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“It was definitely nice to get back home to Indiana,” he said. “I was born here and obviously this place has a very special place in my heart. It’s cool to get back here. I always loved watching the Pacers. Reggie and then once Danny Granger got here and Paul George. I’ve always been a big fan of this organization.”
After the workout, Alford spent a few minutes on his phone talking to his father, who coached him in college at UCLA.
“I talked to him just about every day,” Alford said of his father. “I had to call him after this. He wanted to make sure I called to let him know how it went. He was super excited for me to be back here. I talked to my grandma and grandpa. They still live here, so they were all very excited to get this workout, for sure.”
Thirty years ago, the elder Alford felt he would have a storybook transition from a championship with the Hoosiers to being drafted by the Pacers, the hometown team. Walsh even played his part to make it seem to other NBA teams that the Pacers were set to draft Alford. Then Walsh took Miller, an eventual Hall of Famer. Alford, who was shown shaking his head on camera after the Pacers’ pick, wasn’t the only one in the state upset with Walsh. Alford was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 26th overall pick.
The story was retold in the 2010 "30 for 30" documentary on Miller.
“It’s one of the funniest things (for) all my friends because their favorite '30 for 30' is the Reggie Miller one,” the younger Alford said. “They see (Reggie) getting picked and my dad just does this (puts his head down) and my mom is all mad. I get jokes about that all the time.”
As for his own career, Bryce Alford is one of the most decorated players in UCLA history. He set a school record for most 3-pointers made with 329 during his four years. He also helped the Bruins to the Sweet 16 three times.
Perhaps the most impressive part of his senior season was how Alford made an easy transition to the shooting guard position after three years as the team’s primary ballhandler. Playing next to Lonzo Ball, the freshman phenom who is a top prospect in this year’s draft, Alford created space for the Bruins’ offense with his shooting and proved to be a more versatile overall player.
“I showed how efficient I can be when I don’t have the ball in my hands, and I’ve always been taught from my dad that 90 percent of the game is when you don’t have the ball, so it’s what you do when you don’t have it," he said. "I think I showed that aspect of my game.”
Being a coach’s son, Alford believes his experience will better prepare him for what’s ahead. He considers himself mature, has learned how to read defenses from his father and is willing to make the right decisions on the court for the team’s success.
“More than anything, I’m trying to take as much as I can from the coaching staff at each (pre-draft workout) and figure out what they think I need to work on and what they think I need to showcase in these workouts to have a chance,” Alford said of his approach before the June 22 draft. “I know where I’m at. I’m right on the border of making it or not making it. I’ve been real confident through the process and just working as hard as I can.”
In Monday’s workout, Alford played the point guard position in the three-on-three scrimmage, a role he knows could be as vital to his success in the NBA as his perimeter shooting.
“Some people think I’m not big enough to be a (shooting) guard, so (they think) I’m primarily a point guard in the league,” he said. “If that happens, with the way the league is going in becoming a guard-oriented league, it definitely helps a guy like me. I’ll do whatever the coach wants me to do. I know that’s the right answer to give.”
After making that statement, Alford left little mystery as to who offered him such a valuable approach to his professional career. He learned it from his father.
Call IndyStar reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter:@ByNateTaylor.
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