Harman Patil (Editor)

UAB Blazers men's basketball

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Nickname
  
Blazers

Away
  
Alternate

Arena/Stadium
  
Bartow Arena

Division
  
Division I (NCAA)

Colors
  
Forest Green, Old Gold

Home
  
Away

Head coach
  
Robert Ehsan

Conference
  
Conference USA

Mascot
  
Blaze the Dragon


University
  
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Location
  
Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Profiles

Twitter
Facebook

The UAB Blazers men's basketball team represents the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the NCAA Division I men's college basketball, and have competed in Conference USA (C-USA) since 1995.

Contents

UAB Blazer History

The UAB Blazers started their athletics program with the creation of men's basketball in 1978. Setting high standards from the start, UAB hired former UCLA head coach Gene Bartow. Known as the "Father of UAB athletics" Coach Bartow led the Blazers to instant success. Since their inaugural season, the Blazers have made 15 appearances in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament including 3 Sweet Sixteen appearances and 1 Elite Eight appearance. After 37 years of basketball, UAB has had 32 winning seasons including wins over Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Louisville, Kansas, Arizona, Michigan State, Virginia, Villanova, Connecticut, Memphis, and many others.

Conference affiliations

  • 1978–79, NCAA D-I Independent
  • 1979–91, Sun Belt Conference
  • 1991–95, Great Midwest Conference
  • 1995–present, Conference USA

    • Retired Jerseys

    UAB has retired just 3 jerseys since its inception and they now hang from the rafters of Bartow Arena. This honor is bestowed only on players who earn AP All-America honors and who complete their degree at UAB.

    In the NBA

    UAB has seen numerous players move on to professional careers 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
  • Robert Vaden (2nd Round/54th Overall) to the Charlotte Bobcats

    • Other former Blazers to play in the NBA are:

  • McKinley Singleton (New York Knicks – 1986–87)
  • Alan Ogg (Miami Heat – 1990–92; Milwaukee Bucks – 1992–93; Washington Bullets – 1992–93)
  • Stanley Jackson (Minnesota Timberwolves – 1993–94)
  • Donell Taylor (Washington Wizards – 2005–07)
  • Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson (New Orleans Hornets – 2011–12)
  • Elijah Millsap (Utah Jazz – 2015)

    • UAB Basketball Facilities

    UAB initially played their home games at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena, but moved their home games to an on-campus facility starting 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 Coach Gene Bartow, the man who built UAB's men's basketball program from scratch starting in 1978.

    References

    UAB Blazers men's basketball Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA