| |
| School Name: | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| Location: | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Arena: | Bartow Arena |
| Capacity: | 8,508 |
| Conference: | Conference USA |
| Head coach: | Mike Davis |
The UAB Blazers basketball team represents the University of Alabama at Birmingham in NCAA Division I men's College basketball. The Blazers compete in Conference USA where they have been since 1995. The team is currently coached by Mike Davis.
History[]
The UAB Blazers, in effect, started their entire athletics program with the creation of a men's basketball team in 1978. Setting high standards from the start, UAB hired former UCLA Bruins men's basketball, University of Illinois and Memphis head coach Gene Bartow. Known to many as the "Father of UAB athletics", Bartow led the Blazers to almost instant success. Since their inaugural season, the Blazers have made 13 appearances in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament including 3 Sweet Sixteen (NCAA Basketball Tournament) appearances and 1 Elite Eight appearance. UAB has also appeared in the NIT a total of 9 times, including 2 appearances in the NIT Final Four. After only 29 years of basketball, UAB has had 26 winning seasons including memorable wins over Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball, Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, Alabama, Florida Gators men's basketball, LSU, Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball, Villanova Wildcats men's basketball, Cincinnati, UConn and Memphis, among others.
Coaches[]
| Coach | Years | Wins-Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Gene Bartow | 1978-1996 | 365-204 (.641) |
| Murry Bartow | 1996-2002 | 103-83 (.554) |
| Mike Anderson | 2002-2006 | 89-41 (.685) |
| Mike Davis | 2006-Present | 38-27 (.585) |
| Overall | 595-355 (.626) |
Players[]
Retired Jerseys[]
| Retired Basketball Jerseys | ||
|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Years |
| 14 | Steve Mitchell | 1982-1986 |
| 20 | Oliver Robinson | 1978-1982 |
| 40 | Jerome Mincy | 1982-1986 |
Since UAB established its basketball program, only 3 jerseys have been retired and now hang in the rafters of Bartow Arena. It was decided early on in UAB's basketball program that such an honor would only be bestowed on those players that earned AP All-American honors and graduated from UAB.
In the NBA[]
UAB has also seen a number of its players move on to a professional career in the NBA. Some of UAB's highest NBA draft picks include:
- Oliver Robinson (2nd Round/1st Pick/24th Overall) to the San Antonio Spurs
- Walter Sharpe (2nd Round/2nd Pick/32nd Overall) to the Seattle SuperSonics
- Steve Mitchell (2nd Round/12th Pick/36th Overall) to the Washington Bullets
- Reginald Turner (2nd Round/20th Pick/47th Overall) to the Denver Nuggets
Other former Blazers to move on to the NBA include:
- Larry Spicer
- Keith McCord
- Glenn Marcus
- Norm Anchrum
- Jerome Mincy
- Chris Giles
- Donnie Speer
- Cliff Pruitt
- Lex Drum
- McKinley Singleton
- Archie Johnson
- Alan Ogg
- Stanley Jackson
- Donell Taylor
Post-Season[]
In less than 30 years, the UAB Blazers have made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and 9 NIT appearances. UAB is 9-13 (.409) all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 12-9 (.571) all-time in the NIT.
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 1980 | NIT |
| 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| 1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA |
| 1984 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA |
| 1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA |
| 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA |
| 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA |
| 1989 | NIT Final Four |
| 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA |
| 1991 | NIT |
| 1992 | NIT |
| 1993 | NIT Final Four |
| 1994 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA |
| 1997 | NIT |
| 1998 | NIT |
| 1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA |
| 2003 | NIT |
| 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA |
| 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament | NCAA |
| 2008 | NIT |
Facilities[]
UAB Blazers Men's Basketball vs. Tulsa at Bartow Arena
UAB initially played its games at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Complex Arena, but moved its games to an on-campus facility beginning with the 1988-89 season. Originally known as UAB Arena, the name was officially changed to Bartow Arena on January 25, 1997. The 8,508-seat arena is named after Gene Bartow, the coach who largely built the school's men's basketball program from scratch over the last quarter of the 20th century.
Attendance records[]
| Opponent | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DePaul (1980) | 17,309 |
| 2 | DePaul (1985) | 17,222 |
| 3 | Auburn (1984) | 17,025 |
| 4 | Indiana (1997) | 16,982 |
| 5 | Virginia Commonwealth (1985) | 16,866 |
| 6 | Auburn (1986) | 16,815 |
| 7 | Auburn (1983) | 16,803 |
| 8 | Auburn (1982) | 16,797 |
| 9 | South Florida (1985) | 16,781 |
| 10T | Virginia (1982) | 16,754 |
| 10T | Louisville (1982) | 16,754 |
| Opponent | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memphis (2008) | 9,392 |
| 2 | Louisville (2005) | 9,354 |
| 3 | Cincinnati (2004) | 9,312 |
| 4 | Cincinnati (2000) | 9,279 |
| 5 | Cincinnati (1996) | 9,213 |
| 6 | Alcorn State (1989) | 9,010 |
| 7 | Arkansas (1990) | 8,951 |
| 8 | Cincinnati (1994) | 8,907 |
| 9 | Western Kentucky (1991) | 8,879 |
| 10 | Auburn (1990) | 8,879 |
External Links[]
|
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at UAB Blazers men's basketball. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Basketball Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |