2017–18 UAB Blazers men's basketball team

The 2017–18 UAB Blazers basketball team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Blazers, led by second-year head coach Robert Ehsan, played their home games at the Bartow Arena as members of Conference USA. They finished the season 20–13, 10–8 C-USA play to finish in sixth place. The defeated Florida Atlantic in the first round of the C-USA tournament before losing to Western Kentucky. Despite winning 20 games, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

2017–18 UAB Blazers men's basketball
ConferenceConference USA
Record20–13 (10–8 C-USA)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBartow Arena
Seasons
2017–18 Conference USA men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Middle Tennessee162 .889258 .758
Old Dominion153 .833257 .781
Western Kentucky144 .7782711 .711
Marshall126 .6672511 .694
UTSA117 .6112015 .571
UAB108 .5562013 .606
North Texas810 .4442018 .526
FIU810 .4441418 .438
Southern Miss711 .3891618 .471
Louisiana Tech711 .3891716 .515
Florida Atlantic612 .3331219 .387
UTEP612 .3331120 .355
Rice414 .222724 .226
Charlotte216 .111623 .207
2018 C-USA Tournament winner

Previous season

The Blazers finished the 2016–17 season 17–16, 9–9 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They defeated Charlotte in the first round of the C-USA tournament before losing to Louisiana Tech.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Hakeem Baxter0G6'2"186SeniorPhiladelphia, PAGraduated
Denzell Watts1G6'2"235SeniorFlint, MIGraduated
Javien Williams10G6'4"175FreshmanBirmingham, ALTransferred to Tallahassee CC
Dirk Williams11G6'5"178SeniorHomewood, ALGraduated
Tosin Mehinti21F6'9"244SeniorLagos, NigeriaGraduated
Tyler Madison22G6'4"222SeniorColumbiana, ALGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Jalen Perry21G6'3"180JuniorLouisville, KYJunior college transferred from John A. Logan College.

Incoming recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Makhtar Gueye
#64 PF
Lake Forest, ILASPIRE Basketball Academy6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)N/AOct 24, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 75
Luis Hurtado
#83 SG
Weston, FLThe Sagemont School6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)175 lb (79 kg)Nov 17, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 68
Zack Bryant
PG
Jacksonville, FLProvidence School of Jacksonville6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)175 lb (79 kg)Aug 9, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Recruiting class of 2018

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Tamel Pearson
#31 C
Chicago, ILMorgan Park High School6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)N/ASep 4, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
Ryan Boyce
SF
Memphis, TNEast High School6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)180 lb (82 kg)Oct 13, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Jude Akabueze
C
Lagos, NigeriaNorth Marion High School6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)208 lb (94 kg)Nov 19, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2017–18 UAB Blazers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G1Zack Bryant6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg)FrProvidence SchoolHastings, Florida
G2Nick Norton5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)166 lb (75 kg)SrCentral Catholic High SchoolBloomington, Illinois
F3Chris Cokley6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)238 lb (108 kg)SrSavannah High SchoolSavannah, Georgia
G4Anderson McCoy (W)5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)166 lb (75 kg)JrAncilla CollegeIndianapolis, Indiana
G5Deion Lavender6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg)RS JrSouthern IllinoisAlton, Illinois
G10Luis Hurtado6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)213 lb (97 kg)FrThe Sagemont SchoolMérida, Venezuela
F11Makhtar Gueye6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)185 lb (84 kg)FrAspire AcademyRufisque, Senegal
G12Hunter Reynolds (W)6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)161 lb (73 kg)FrChristian Academy of KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
G13Nate Darling6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg)SoDeMatha Catholic High SchoolHalifax, Nova Scotia
G21Jalen Perry6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)195 lb (88 kg)JrJohn A. Logan CollegeLouisville, Kentucky
F23Lewis Sullivan6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)223 lb (101 kg)RS JrHazel Green High SchoolHazel Green, Alabama
F33Thomas Smallwood7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)243 lb (110 kg)JrLycée Général Saint John PerseBordeaux, France
F34William Lee6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)206 lb (93 kg)SrDallas County High SchoolPlantersville, Alabama
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 2, 2017*
7:00 pm
MorehouseW 84–69 
Bartow Arena (3,203)
Birmingham, AL
Non-conference regular season
November 10*
7:00 pm
JacksonvilleW 96–67 1–0
Bartow Arena (3,106)
Birmingham, AL
November 13*
7:00 pm
Chattanooga
Cayman Islands Classic campus site game
W 89–47 2–0
Bartow Arena (2,985)
Birmingham, AL
November 16*
7:00 pm
LeMoyne–OwenW 81–57 3–0
Bartow Arena (2,828)
Birmingham, AL
November 20*
4:00 pm
vs. Richmond
Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals
L 50–63 3–1
John Gray Gymnasium (650)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 21*
4:00 pm
vs. Buffalo
Cayman Islands Classic consolation round
L 91–96 OT3–2
John Gray Gymnasium (404)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 22*
11:00 am
vs. Iowa
Cayman Islands Classic 7th place game
L 85–95 3–3
John Gray Gymnasium (1,020)
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 26*
3:00 pm
Mississippi CollegeW 90–53 4–3
Bartow Arena (3,222)
Birmingham, AL
November 30*
7:00 pm, Stadium
Memphis
Bartow Classic
W 71–56 5–3
Bartow Arena (4,920)
Birmingham, AL
December 5*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at TroyW 90–78 6–3
Trojan Arena (3,213)
Troy, AL
December 9*
3:30 pm, SECN
at Auburn
Rivalry
L 80–85 6–4
Auburn Arena (7,965)
Auburn, AL
December 16*
2:15 pm
vs. Alabama A&M
BHM JAM
W 90–58 7–4
Legacy Arena (7,209)
Birmingham, AL
December 20*
7:00 pm
New OrleansW 74–67 8–4
Bartow Arena (3,229)
Birmingham, AL
December 23*
2:00 pm
Mississippi Valley StateW 74–57 9–4
Bartow Arena (2,783)
Birmingham, AL
Conference USA regular season
December 30
4:00 pm, Stadium
Middle TennesseeL 60–63 9–5
(0–1)
Bartow Arena (4,143)
Birmingham, AL
January 4, 2018
6:00 pm
at Florida AtlanticW 75–44 10–5
(1–1)
FAU Arena (1,091)
Boca Raton, FL
January 6
6:00 pm
at FIUW 75–64 11–5
(2–1)
FIU Arena (515)
Miami, FL
January 11
7:00 pm
Southern MissW 86–75 12–5
(3–1)
Bartow Arena (3,351)
Birmingham, AL
January 13
4:00 pm, Stadium
Louisiana TechW 74–62 13–5
(4–1)
Bartow Arena (3,743)
Birmingham, AL
January 18
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at WKUL 69–77 13–6
(4–2)
E. A. Diddle Arena (5,643)
Bowling Green, KY
January 20
6:00 pm
at MarshallL 78–86 OT13–7
(4–3)
Cam Henderson Center (6,740)
Huntington, WV
January 25
7:00 pm, beIN
UTEPW 85–78 14–7
(5–3)
Bartow Arena (3,013)
Birmingham, AL
January 27
7:00 pm, ESPN3
UTSAL 70–82 14–8
(5–4)
Bartow Arena (4,259)
Birmingham, AL
February 1
6:00 pm
at CharlotteW 76–64 15–8
(6–4)
Halton Arena (3,266)
Charlotte, NC
February 3
6:00 pm
at Old DominionL 60–65 15–9
(6–5)
Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,481)
Norfolk, VA
February 8
7:00 pm
North TexasL 60–67 15–10
(6–6)
Bartow Arena (3,383)
Birmingham, AL
February 10
7:00 pm
RiceW 61–56 16–10
(7–6)
Bartow Arena (3,703)
Birmingham, AL
February 15
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at Louisiana TechL 60–73 16–11
(7–7)
Thomas Assembly Center (3,562)
Ruston, LA
February 17
4:00 pm
at Southern MissW 87–69 17–11
(8–7)
Reed Green Coliseum (2,405)
Hattiesburg, MS
February 24
6:00 pm, Stadium
at No. 24 Middle TennesseeL 54–79 17–12
(8–8)
Murphy Center (9,717)
Murfreesboro, TN
March 1
7:00 pm, beIN
MarshallW 91–77 18–12
(9–8)
Bartow Arena (3,156)
Birmingham, AL
March 4
7:00 pm
WKUW 101–73 19–12
(10–8)
Bartow Arena (4,363)
Birmingham, AL
Conference USA tournament
March 7
9:00 pm, Stadium
(6) vs. (11) Florida Atlantic
First round
W 83–72 20–12
The Ford Center at The Star (5,198)
Frisco, TX
March 7
9:00 pm, Stadium
(6) vs. (3) WKU
Quarterfinals
L 70–98 20–13
The Ford Center at The Star (2,531)
Frisco, TX
*Non-conference game. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[1]

References