UAB Blazers men's basketball

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UAB Blazers
University	University of Alabama at Birmingham
Conference	C-USA East Division
Location	Birmingham, AL
Head Coach	Mike Davis (2nd year)
Arena	Bartow Arena (Capacity: 8,508)
Nickname	Blazers
Colors	Green and Old Gold and White
Uniforms
Home     Away
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
1982
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
1981, 1982, 2004
NCAA Tournament Appearances
1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006
Conference Tournament Champions
1982, 1983, 1984, 1987
Conference Regular Season Champions
1981, 1982, 1990, 1999, 2004

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.

[edit] 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, 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 Men's Basketball Tournament including 3 Sweet Sixteen 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, Indiana, Louisville, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Virginia, Villanova, Cincinnati, UConn and Memphis, among others.

[edit] Coaches

[edit] Players

[edit] Retired Jerseys

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.

[edit] 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
• 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

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Attendance records

v • d • e University of Alabama at Birmingham Schools Arts and Humanities • Business • Dentistry • Education • Engineering • Health Professions • Medicine • Natural Sciences and Mathematics • Nursing • Optometry • Public Health • Social and Behavioral Sciences • Graduate School • Division of General Studies UAB Health System UAB Hospital • UAB Highlands • The Kirklin Clinic • Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital • Spain Rehabilitation Center • University of Alabama Health Services Foundation • Viva Health (HMO) • UAB Medical West • Baptist Health of Montgomery, Alabama • UAB Health Centers People Tinsley Harrison • Gene Bartow • Mike Davis • Neil Callaway • Carol Garrison Places Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center • Bartow Arena • Legion Field • Mervyn H. Sterne Library • Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences • Samuel Ullman Museum • Alabama Museum of Health Sciences • Innovation Depot Media WBHM-FM (NPR) • BlazeRadio (Student Online Radio) • Kaleidoscope (Student Newspaper) Athletics Football • Men's Basketball • Baseball • Golf • Soccer • Tennis • Softball • Women's Basketball • Golf • Synchronized Swimming • Tennis • Track and Field • Cross Country • Rifle • Volleyball Affiliations Southern Association of Colleges and Schools • Oak Ridge Associated Universities • Urban 13 • Great Cities' Universities • Space Grant Colleges • Sea Grant Colleges • Conference USA • National Collegiate Athletic Association • Birmingham Area Consortium for Higher Education Endowment: $400.7 million • Students: 16,246 • Faculty: 2,212 • Staff: 16,553