UAB BASKETBALL

2003-04 UAB BASKETBALL EXHIBITION GAME ONE NOVEMBER 6, 2003, 7:30 P.M. CST UAB VS.VASDA USA UAB 2003-04 SCHEDULE UAB (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT NOVEMBER Thurs. 6 VASDA (Exh.) 7:30 pm Mon. 17 Arkansas Angels (Exh.) 7:30 pm Mon. 24 Georgia Southern 7:30 pm Sat. 29 Richmond 7:30 pm DECEMBER Wed. 3 Birmingham-Southern 7:30 pm Sat. 6 at Mississippi State (FoxSN) 1 pm Mon. 15 vs. Western Michigan% 5:30 pm Thurs. 18 at VCU 7:30 pm Sat. 20 Alabama A&M 7:30 pm Tues. 23 Louisiana Tech 7:30 pm Sat. 27 vs. LSU# (FoxSN/Sunshine) 6 pm Tues. 30 Marshall 7:30 pm JANUARY Sat. 3 South Alabama 7:30 pm Wed. 7 at East Carolina* 6 pm Sat. 10 Houston* 7:30 pm Sat. 17 at DePaul* (ESPN Plus) 11 am Tues. 20 USF* 7:30 pm Sat. 24 at Charlotte* 2 pm Wed. 28 Tulane* 7:30 pm Sat. 31 Saint Louis* 7:30 pm FEBRUARY Sat. 7 at Louisville* (ESPN) 6 pm Wed. 11 at Southern Miss* 7 pm Sat. 14 East Carolina* 7:30 pm Wed. 18 Cincinnati* 7:30 pm Sat. 21 at Memphis (ESPN) 6 pm Wed. 25 at Tulane 7 pm Sat. 28 Marquette* (ESPN Plus) 2 pm MARCH Wed. 3 at USF 6 pm Sat. 6 TCU (ESPN Plus) Noon Wed.- 10- Conference USA Tournament! TBA Sun. 14 * denotes C-USA game % Coors Classic (Mobile, Ala.) # Sugar Bowl Classic (New Orleans, La.)! C-USA Tournament (Memphis, Tenn.) All times Central DATE: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2003 TIME: 7:30 p.m. CST UAB WILL RELY ON EXPERIENCE IN 2003-04: The UAB basketball team enters the 2003-04 season as one of the more experienced teams in Conference USA. The Blazers return four of five starters and nine of 12 letterwinners. The Blazers also have three fifth-year seniors on the squad in Mo Finley, Sidney Ball and Tony Johnson. UAB is one of only three schools in the entire coutnry which has three fifth-year seniors on its squad (Arkansas-3, Creighton-4). BLAZERS HAVE SUCCESSFUL 2002-03 SEASON: UAB turned a lot of heads throughout the 2002-03 season. The Blazers finished the season with a 21-13 overall record and finished runnerup at the Conference USA tournament. UAB ended the season just one game away from playing in Madison Square Garden in the NIT, dropping a 79-71 decision at St. John s in the quarterfinals. It was the first time UAB has reached the postseason since the 1998-99 campaign. SCOUTING THE BLAZERS: UAB returns four of five starters and nine of 12 letterwinners for the 2003-04 season. Leading the list of returnees is preseason all-conference guard Morris Finley. The senior from LaFayette, Ala. is back as the conference s leading returning scorer (18.3 ppg in 2002) and is a member of the preseason all-conference team. The Blazers also will show off five newcomers, four of which are JUCO transfers. Leading the list of newcomers are identical twin guards Ronell and Donell Taylor. Both players transferred from Okaloosa- Walton JC where they were named to the all-conference and all-region teams. TONIGHT S GAME INFO... UAB Media Relations Mailing Address: BRTW 105 1530 3rd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294 (205) 934-0722 (205) 934-7505 (Fax) MBB Contact: Aaron Jordan UAB QUICK FACTS Founded 1969 Enrollment 15,921 President Dr. Carol Garrison Athletics Director Watson Brown Faculty Representative Dr. Johnny Scott National Affiliation NCAA Division I Conference Affiliation Conference USA School Colors Forest Green and Old Gold Home Court Bartow Arena Capacity 8,500 First Game In Bartow Arena Dec. 3, 1988 Record In Bartow Arena 175-42 (.806) 34-21 in C-USA (.618) BASKETBALL HISTORY First Year Of Basketball 1978-79 All-Time Record 489-300 (.620) Years In NCAA Tourn. 10 (1981, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 90, 94, 99) Last Appearance 1999 Years In NIT 8 (1980, 89, 91, 92, 93, 97, 98, 03) Last Appearance 2003 2002-03 Overall Record 21-13 2002-03 C-USA Record/Finish 8-8/t-2nd (National) Returning/Lost 9/3 Starters Returning/Lost 4/1 Newcomers 5 BASKETBALL STAFF Head Basketball Coach Mike Anderson Record at UAB/Seasons 21-13/One Season Career Record/Seasons Same Assistant Coaches Chris Giles (UAB, 84) Scott Edgar (Pittsburgh-Johnstown, 78) Matt Zimmerman (Arkansas, 90) Strength & Conditioning Marcus Bush Athletic Trainer Bryan Koch Media Relations Contact Aaron Jordan Jordan s Office 205-934-0722 Jordan s Email jordana@uab.edu Jon Gentile produces the broadcast. The pregame show will begin 7 p.m. CST and the postgame show will follow immediately after the game. 2002-03 RECORDS: UAB: 21-13, 8-8 C-USA RADIO: 101.1 WYDE -FM - Gary Sanders will handle play-by-play, Matt Coulter will be the color analyst and TELEVISION: None SERIES HISTORY: UAB defeated VASDA USA in its opening game of the exhibition season, 119-84. 1

CAREER RECORD WATCH Most Three s Made Years No. 1. Andy Kennedy 1988-91 318 2. Damon Cobb 1995-99 234 3. Cedric Dixon 1994-98 218 4. Mo Finley 1999-182 5. Barry Bearden 1986-90 172 Most Three s Att. Years No. 1. Andy Kennedy 1988-91 728 2. Cedric Dixon 1994-98 631 3. Damon Cobb 1995-99 623 4. Mo Finley 1999-479 5. Barry Bearden 1986-90 422 Most Steals Years No. 1. Stanley Jackson 1989-93 237 2. Steve Mitchell 1982-86 190 3. Damon Cobb 1995-99 180 4. Oliver Robinson 1978-82 176 5. Michael Charles 1984-88 175 6. George Wilkerson 1989-94 172 7. Eric Bush 2001-03 169 8. Barry Bearden 1986-90 151 9. Cedric Dixon 1994-98 135 10. Jack Kramer 1988-91 134 11. Mo Finley 1999-128 1,000-Point Club Years Points 1. Steve Mitchell 1982-86 1,867 2. Andy Kennedy 1988-91 1,787 3. Elbert Rogers 1988-92 1,587 4. Oliver Robinson 1978-82 1,577 5. Stanley Jackson 1989-93 1,491 t14. Mo Finley* 1999-1,137 Freshman Scoring Year Points 1. Demario Eddins 2003 344 2. Richard Jones 2003 228 3. Damon Cobb 1996 212 4. Steve Mitchell 1983 199 5. Jerome Mincy 1983 188 5. Larry Rembert 1987 188 * Mo Finley became the 15th player in school history to reach 1,000 points. 2002-03 FINAL STATS STATISTICAL LEADERS ## PLAYER G/GS PTS. OTHER 10 Mo Finley 34/34 18.3 3.2 apg 23 Demario Eddins 34/32 10.3 4.4 rpg 2 Gabe Kennedy 34/22 10.1 4.8 rpg 3 Eric Bush 34/33 9.9 3.1 spg 4 Jeffrey Collins 26/5 8.1 2.9 rpg 31 Richard Jones 33/1 7.1 1.9 rpg 32 Sidney Ball 33/29 5.5 5.4 rpg 34 Cedric Davis 33/11 4.7 2.9 rpg 11 Derrick Broom 24/0 2.8 0.8 rpg 44 Brandon Tobias 31/2 2.6 2.1 rpg 21 Tony Johnson 28/1 1.3 1.3 apg 15 Lee Cobb 17/0 1.2 0.5 rpg 2003-04 UAB MEN S BASKETBALL NUMERICAL ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl./Exp. Hometown/Last School 0 Carldell Johnson G 5-10 180 So./JC New Orleans, La./Salt Lake City JC 1 Donell Taylor G 6-6 180 Jr./JC Montgomery, Ala./Okaloosa-Walton 2 Ronell Taylor G 6-5 180 Jr./JC Montgomery, Ala./Okaloosa-Walton 3 Marques Lewis F 6-8 285 Jr./JC Milwaukee, Wisc./Wabash Valley 4 Gabe Kennedy F 6-9 255 Sr./1L Lower Peachtree, Ala./Wilcox Central HS 5 DeAndre Carroll G 6-4 190 Fr-R/HS Birmingham, Ala./Minor HS 10 Morris Finley G 5-11 175 Sr./3L LaFayette, Ala./LaFayette HS 12 Reed Davis G 6-1 180 So./1L Birmingham, Ala./Altamont HS 15 Lee Cobb F 6-7 230 Sr./2L Decatur, Ala./Birmingham-Southern 21 Tony Johnson G/F 6-4 200 Sr./3L Morganfield, Ky./Union County HS 23 Demario Eddins F 6-7 190 So./1L Chicago, Ill./Winchendon Prep 25 Ernest Little F 6-9 230 Fr./HS Monroeville, Ala./Monroe County HS 31 Richard Jones G 6-5 210 So./1L Oklahoma City, Okla./Douglass HS 32 Sidney Ball G/F 6-6 220 Sr./3L Duncanville, Ala./Hillcrest HS 42 Derrick Broom G 6-5 200 So./1L Cartersville, Ga./Woodland HS 44 Brandon Tobias F 6-7 220 So./1L Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Dillard HS SCOUTING VASDA USA: The VASDA USA squad is comprised of former college players who have completed their NCAA eligibility and are playing professionally overseas and in the U.S. Those players who are attempting to play basketball at the professional level, are using VASDA s preseason tour to gain some experience and exposure. LAST SEASON AGAINST VASDA...: UAB began the 2002-03 season with its exhibition opener against VASDA. The Blazers defeated their opponents, 119-84 on Nov. 5, 2002. UAB was led by Mo Finley s 21 points, 10 assists and five steals, while Demario Eddins and Gabe Kennedy had 18 and 17 points, respectively. Six UAB players reached double-figures, while the Blazers shot 58.7-percent from the floor as a team. UAB also forced VASDA into 27 turnovers and collected 19 steals on the evening. UAB LED NATION IN STEALS: Mike Anderson s Fastest 40 Minutes In Basketball is a frantic style of play which is predicated on forcing other teams into turnovers. That was shown in last season s statistics. The Blazers led the nation in steals per game last season, averaging 11.6 per contest. The Blazers also forced their opponents into 723 turnovers and collected 395 steals, both school records. 11 WINS EQUALS 500 VICTORIES IN SCHOOL HISTORY: Entering the 2003-04 season, UAB needs just 11 wins to reach the program s 500th victory. Currently, the program s overall record is 489-300 which equals to an average of 19.6 wins per season. THREE-POINT STREAK STILL GOING: The Blazers have enjoyed much success from behind the arc. So much so, that UAB has made at least one three-pointer in 235 consecutive contests. The last time the Blazers played a game without knocking down a trey was on Dec. 18, 1996 against Chattanooga. CLIMBING UP THE RECORD BOOKS: Senior guard Mo Finley continues his ascent up the UAB record books. Finley, a native of LaFayette, Ala., is ranked in the career lists for three pointer made, three pointers attempted and most points scored in school history. He also need to collect six steals to break into the top-10 for career steals. Last season, he collected 623 points which stood as the fifth-most points in a single-season in school history. KEY RETURNEES: The Blazers welcome back four of their five starters and nine of 12 letterwinners to this year s squad. Included on the list of returnees is preseason all-conference player Morris Finley. The LaFayette, Ala. native returns as C-USA s leading scorer, averaging 18.3 ppg last season. Demario Eddins returns after being named to the C- USA All-Freshman team. Eddins also captured the school record for freshman scoring, collecting 344 points on the campaign. Sidney Ball and Gabe Kennedy are both inside forces who started 20-plus games the UAB. Also returning are Richard Jones, who ranks second on UAB s all-time freshman scoring list, Tony Johnson, Derrick Broom and Brandon Tobias, all of whom played 24 or more games last season. 2003-04 NEWCOMERS: UAB welcomes five new players to this year s squad. Out of the five newcomers, four are transfers from junior college. Below is a glimpse of each recruit and a few of their previous school s accomplishments: Carldell Squeaky Johnson (5-10, 180, G) - Transferred from Salt Lake CC... averaged eight points and eight assists per contest. Marques Lewis (6-8, 280, F) - Transfer from Wabash Valley CC... named as all-conference performer... was team MVP in 2002-2

HEAD COACH MIKE ANDERSON Mike Anderson was named the third head men's basketball coach at the UAB on April 4, 2002. In his first season at the helm, Anderson guided the Blazers to the best single-season improvement in school history. UAB finished last season with a 21-13 record overall and an 8-8 Conference USA record, which was good enough to finish second in the National Division. Anderson was one of only three Division I coaches last season to win at least 20 games in his first year as a head coach. Anderson not only won 21 games last season, but also accomplished some firsts in the program s history. For example, UAB played in the C-USA championship game for the first time in school history, barely missing an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament losing to tournament host Louisville, 83-78. The Blazers entered the C-USA Tournament as a No. 9 seed. UAB defeated Charlotte in the first round, 85-61, No. 1-seeded and eighth-ranked Marquette 83-76 and fourth-seeded Saint Louis, 63-62, to advance to the C-USA championship game. Despite falling to the Cardinals, the Blazers did receive an NIT invitation, appearing in their first postseason since the 1998-99 campaign. Anderson directed the Blazers to a quarterfinal appearance where they fell to eventual 2003 NIT Champion St. John s. Anderson set goals for the program and his tenure got off on the right start when you consider: The first time UAB has reached the championship game of the Conference USA tournament. The best single-season improvement in school history, going from 13-17 in 2001-02 to 21-13 in 2002-03 for a +8-game improvement. The first time the Blazers have led the nation in steals (11.6/game). The first time UAB has beaten a team ranked in the top eight (No. 8 Marquette, 83-76, 3/13/03) since it defeated Cincinnati on Jan. 21, 1996. The first time a first-year coach at UAB has won 20 games. The first time in school history a firstyear head coach has had a winning percentage over.600 (.618). The first time UAB has won 21 games in a season since the 1997-98 campaign. The first time UAB has won a game in the NIT since it defeated Missouri (93-86) in 1998. The first time the Blazers reached the quarterfinals of the NIT since the 1993 season. 03... led team with 16.8 ppg and 7.4 rpg. Ernest Little (6-9, 230, Fr.) - Played at Monroe County HS... named to Mobile Register s Super 16... averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks as a senior. Donell Taylor (6-6, 180, G) - Transfer from Okaloosa-Walton CC... named NJCAA All- American... selected as Panhandle Conference Player of the Year... averaged 29 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Ronell Taylor (6-5, 180, G) - Transfer from Okaloosa-Walton CC... Panhandle Conference Player of the Year runner-up to twin brother Donell... averaged 19.7 points and 2.2 steals per contest... compiled a two year record of 56-8 at Okaloosa-Walton. HOME SWEET HOME: UAB enjoys playing at the friendly confines of Bartow Arena. Now playing in their 16th season in the facility, the Blazers have enjoyed 175 wins against just 42 losses for a winning percentage of.806. The Blazers have won at least 10 games in Bartow Arena in 14 of the last 15 seasons played in the building. In all-time home games, UAB owns an impressive 298-73 (.803) mark. UAB PICKED FIFTH IN C-USA/FINLEY TABBED PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: The UAB men s basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the Conference USA raceas selected by the league s 14 head coaches. In addition, senior guard Morris Finley was selected to the preseason all-conference team. Finley becomes just the second player at UAB since the inception of C-USA to be chosen as preseason all- conference (Fred Williams, 1999). UAB BASKETBALL RECEIVING NATIONAL RECOGNITION: After last season s postseason run through the Conference USA Tournament and the NIT, the Blazers are beginning to receive national recognition in the preseason basketball magazine prognostications. Below is a list of Blazers who garnered preseason honors: Street & Smith s Top JUCO transfers All-East Donell Taylor The Sporting News Top Juco Transfers Shooting Guards: 1. Donell Taylor 10. Ronell Taylor Small Forwards: 10. Marques Lewis Biggest JUCO Impact Donell Taylor Athlon Sports Top-10 Shooters 4. Morris Finley Honorable Mention All-America Morris Finley Lindy s Basketball Top JUCO Transfer 5. Donell Taylor Heard of em? You Will Now 1. Morris Finley Top Shooting Guards 14. Morris Finley TWO EXHIBITION GAMES FOR UAB: UAB will play two exhibition games prior to the start of the regular season. The Blazers will open the exhibition season when they face a familiar foe in VASDA USA on Nov. 6. UAB will then play its final exhibition game of the season on Nov. 17 against Arkansas Angels. UAB BASKETBALL CELEBRATES 25 YEARS: The 2003-04 season marks the 25th anniversary of UAB basketball. Throughout the years, the Blazers have created and maintained a rich tradition of basketball. The Blazers have accomplished many feats in the program s short history. UAB has appeared in 10 NCAA tournaments advancing to two Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight eight NIT appearances, two NIT Final Four appearances, six conference championships, 21 winning seasons, 14 20+-win seasons and three allamericans. UAB WAS RUNNER UP AT C-USA TOURNEY: UAB ended its impressive run at the C-USA tournament, dropping an 83-78 decision to Louisville in the championship game. The Blazers defeated Charlotte (85-61), No. 8 Marquette (83-76) and Saint Louis (63-62) en route to making it to the championship game for the first time in school history. For their efforts, Mo Finley and Eric Bush were named to the all-tournament team. 2003 KELLY TIRES CONFERENCE USA TOURNAMENT NOTES: Below are a few notes concerning UAB s run in the 2003 C-USA tournament: After finishing the regular season with a 1-4 record against the American Division, the Blazers had a 3-1 tournament record vs. the American Division. With the three wins in four games at the conference tournament, UAB assured itself of a spot in postseason play for the first time since the 1999 campaign. The Blazers captured two single-game records: steals by a team (20) and steals by an individual player (Eric Bush, six), both vs. Marquette. As a team, UAB has set records for individual steals in tournament play (Eric Bush, 13) and team steals in tournament play (48). UAB scored 308 points in the tournament to break the tournament scoring mark of 293 points held by Marquette (four games) in 1997. The Blazers snapped Marquette s five- 3

UAB IN THE 2002-03 NCAA STATS INDIVIDUAL Steals Per Game 4. E. Bush................3.1 TEAM Steals Per Game 1. UAB..................11.6 Scoring Offense 29. UAB.................77.9 SINGLE-GAME PERFORMANCES Steals In A Game t3. E. Bush....8 vs. Texas A&M-CC (12/19/02) UAB IN THE 2002-03 C-USA STATS INDIVIDUAL Scoring 2. M. Finley..............18.3 FG Percentage 5. G. Kennedy............533 Free Throw Pct. 8. M. Finley...............816 Assists 11. E. Bush..............3.61 Steals 1. E. Bush...............3.16 5. M. Finley..............2.03 8. D. Eddins.............1.55 3-point FG Pct. 7. M. Finley...............412 3-point FG Made 3. M. Finley..............2.87 Assist/Turnover Ratio 11. M. Finley.............1.62 12. E. Bush..............1.51 TEAM* Scoring Offense 3. UAB.................77.6 Scoring Margin 5. UAB.................+5.2 Free Throw Percentage t7. UAB..................681 FG Percentage 4. UAB..................445 Turnover Margin 1. UAB................+7.10 Steals 1. UAB.................11.6 Assists 6. UAB................15.10 3-Point FG Made 6. UAB.................6.35 game win streak and Saint Louis eightgame win streak en route to making it to the championship game. UAB reached the C-USA championship game for the first time in school history. UAB REACHES THE 20-WIN MARK: With its win over UL Lafayette in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament, UAB reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign. That season, UAB finished 20-12 and made its last trip to postseason play when it made the NCAA tournament. With the victory, the Blazers reached the 20-win mark for the 14th time in the school s 25th season of play. THEFT OF A SCHOOL RECORD: The Blazers were one of the top defensive teams in the nation last season as proven by the amount of steals they have compiled. With 395 steals, UAB has shattered a 23-year-old team record for steals in a season and both the C-USA for overall steals in a season and steals in conference play only. Below is a breakdown of the records UAB captured last season: C-USA Record No. Team (Games) Steals/regular season 395 UAB 2002-03 (34) Steals a game/reg. season 11.6 UAB 2002-03 (34) Steals/C-USA only 181 UAB 2002-03 (16) Steals a game/c-usa only 11.3 UAB 2002-03 (16) UAB final numbers Steals/regular season 395 Steals a game/regular season 11.6 Steals/C-USA only 181 Steals a game/c-usa only 11.3 UAB IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: The Blazers found themselves ranked in several categories in the 2002-03 final NCAA stats. As a team, the Blazers led the nation in steals per game (11.6), while Eric Bush finished fourth in the nation in steals per game (3.1). In the column on the left is a complete listing of how UAB ranked in the NCAA last season. UAB IN THE C-USA STATISTICS: The Blazers were well represented in the final Conference USA statistics. As a team, UAB led the league in turnover margin (+7.10) and steals per game (11.6). The Blazers also ranked third in scoring offense (77.6) and fourth in field goal percentage (.445). In the column on the left is a complete listing of where the Blazers rank in Conference USA team and individual statistics. STEALING THE SHOW: Last season, guard Eric Bush had arguably one of UAB s greatest defensive years in school history. Bush captured the Conference USA and the UAB school record for steals in a season with 105. Below is a graph of the other school and C-USA records that Bush eclipsed: Records No. Record holder (Games) UAB single-season 105 Eric Bush, 2003 (34) C-USA regular season 101 Eric Bush, 2003 (34) C-USA play only 57 Willie Coleman DePaul, 1998 (16) UAB Leader - Eric Bush (Final Stats) Regular season 105 Conference only 50 DEFENSE THE NAME OF THE GAME: Mike Anderson is stressed defense to last year s team and that was evident in last season s statistics. The Blazers forced opponents into 723 turnovers, for an average of 21.3 per game, while collecting a school record 395 steals (11.6 per game) to lead the nation. REBOUNDING DIFFERENCE: Despite winning 21 of its 34 contests last season, UAB has been outrebounded in every game except six. For the year, UAB opponents had a 1375-1189 advantage on the boards which equates to a -5.5 difference (40.4-35.0 per game) in the rebounding department. The team was led by Sidney Ball who averaged 5.4 rpg. FINLEY/EDDINS EARN C-USA HONORS: Morris Finley and Demario Eddins both received Conference USA postseason honors. Finley was named to the Conference USA second team the highest such honor since Carlos Williams made first-team allconference in 1997. Eddins was also honored when he was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team. *Team rankings are only listed if UAB is in top eight 4

TURNOVERS WERE THE X FACTOR: In UAB s 21 victories last season, the Blazers had a turnover difference of +8.7 (21.9-13.2). However, in the 13 losses, the Blazers only had a +2.8 (18.9-16.1) advantage in the turnover department. UAB committed 20 or more turnovers in only three games last season, two of which were losses (at UNLV - 23 and at Southern Miss - 20). ANOTHER X FACTOR: There were three other key stats in forecasting whether the Blazers would win or lose. UAB was 15-3 in games in which it shot better than 45 percent from the floor in a game, while the Blazers were also 13-3 when holding opponents to less than 45 percent shooting from the floor. UAB was also 18-2 when leading at the half. WORKING OVERTIME: The Blazers played back-to-back overtime games on Jan. 29 and Feb. 4, marking the first in school history UAB has played back-to-back overtime games. The Blazers beat TCU, 84-82, in overtime on Jan. 29, then followed that performance with a 82-80 double overtime loss at Southern Miss on Feb. 4. The Blazers played three overtime games last year, and have never played more than four overtime games in a single-season (1983-84). THE VOICE OF THE BLAZERS: Entering his 25th season as the voice of the Blazers, Gary Sanders reached a milestone on Feb. 18 in broadcasting. That game against TCU marked the 750th UAB basketball broadcast by Sanders. Sanders will also reach another milestone when he calls his 900th UAB basketball and football game on Nov. 24 when the UAB basketball team opens the regular season at home against Georgia Southern. Six-times named Alabama Sportscaster of the Year, Sanders has called 757 of the 782 UAB basketball games. He has also called all 130 UAB football games. Combined, the legendary broadcaster has called 887 games while with the Blazers. VASDA USA - GOLD TEAM G 10 Shawn Hall 5-8 155 Appalachian State G 12 Rashaon Brown 6-1 175 Akron G 24 Antoine Knighton 6-2 180 Talladega F 30 Ali Thompson 6-5 210 Arkansas F 33 Joe hamilton 6-6 215 Virginia Tech F 35 Kenny Zeigler 6-6 220 Furman F 42 Patrick Binion 6-8 210 Talladega F 45 Kendrick Alloway 6-8 215 Georgia State C 50 Daryl Hamilton 6-9 230 Huston-Tillotson C 54 Damian Burke 6-9 260 Colorado State Head Coach: Reni Mason UAB BLAZERS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Cl./Exp. Hometown/Last School G 0 Carldell Johnson 5-10 180 So./JC New Orleans, La./Salt Lake CC Averaged 8.0 ppg and 8.0 apg at SLCC G 1 Donell Taylor 6-6 180 Jr./JC Montgomery, Ala./Okaloosa-Walton NJCAA All-America G 2 Ronell Taylor 6-5 180 Jr./JC Montgomery, Ala./Okaloosa-Walton First team all-conference F 3 Marques Lewis 6-8 285 Jr./JC Milwaukee, Wisc./Wabash Valley Averaged 16.8 ppg and 7.4 rpg at Wabash F 4 Gabe Kennedy 6-9 255 Sr./1L Lower Peachtree, Ala./Wilcox Central HS 10.1 4.8 Expected to be main man inside the paint G 5 DeAndre Carroll 6-4 190 Fr-R/HS Birmingham, Ala./Minor HS Redshirted 2002-03 season G 10 Morris Finley 5-11 175 Sr./3L LaFayette, Ala./LaFayette HS 18.3 3.2 Preseason all-conference G 12 Reed Davis 6-1 180 So./1L Birmingham, Ala./Altamont HS 0.9 0.0 Expected to play limited role off bench F 15 Lee Cobb 6-7 230 Sr./2L Decatur, Ala./Birmingham-Southern 1.2 0.5 Good outside shooter, can see more time G/F 21 Tony Johnson 6-4 200 Sr./3L Morganfield, Ky./Union County HS 1.3 1.6 Healthy and looking for increased role F 23 Demario Eddins 6-7 190 So./1L Chicago, Ill./Winchendon Prep 10.3 4.4 Broke UAB s freshman scoring record F 25 Ernest Little 6-9 230 Fr./HS Monroeville, Ala./Monroe County HS Named all-region out of high school G 31 Richard Jones 6-5 210 So./1L Oklahoma City, Okla./Douglass HS 7.1 1.9 Second-most points by freshman at UAB G/F 32 Sidney Ball 6-6 220 Sr./3L Duncanville, Ala./Hillcrest HS 5.5 5.4 Team captain, led team in rebounds G 42 Derrick Broom 6-5 200 So./1L Cartersville, Ga./Woodland HS 2.8 0.8 Good outside shooter, will see more time F 44 Brandon Tobias 6-7 220 So./1L Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Dillard HS 2.6 2.1 Strong inside presence Head Coach: Mike Anderson (Tulsa, 82) Assistant Coaches: Scott Edgar (Pittsburgh-Johnstown, 78), Chris Giles (UAB, 84), Matt Zimmerman (Arkansas, 90) Trainer: Bryan Koch, ATC 5