The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's And Women's Basketball Open Practice Friday
10/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 17, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's and women's basketball teams will begin their official preparations for the 2008-09 season by holding their first practices Friday. Men's basketball head coach Mike Davis and women's basketball head coach Audra Smith are both excited to begin practice and put their teams to the test.
"This is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans, coaches and players," said Davis. "We are just ready to get out there on the court and get to work. We have a lot of pieces in place for what could be a very exciting season."
"We are ecstatic to start practice and get things going," said Smith. "We have been able to work two hours a week up until now and we are ready to get into full practice mode.
"We have a young team this year, so we are going to have to change our practice plans a little from the past. We have to take baby steps, but still move fast enough to get us ready for the season opener on Nov. 14."
The men's team is looking forward to a year of high expectations. UAB was picked to finish second behind defending C-USA champion and NCAA runner-up Memphis in 2008-09, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Additionally, senior guard/forward Robert Vaden was selected as the Preseason Conference USA Player of the Year, which is the first time a UAB player has garnered that distinction.
The Blazers' lineup will feature six seniors in what is one of the most experienced teams to ever step on the floor at UAB. Davis' squad returns nine letterwinners and four starters from last year's team that finished with a 23-11 overall record and a 12-4 mark in Conference USA.
Vaden will lead the way after coming off one of the most prolific seasons by any UAB basketball player. The 2007-08 C-USA Newcomer of the Year finished the 2007-08 campaign with single-season school marks of points (695), three-pointers made (142) and three-pointers attempted (355). His marks from beyond the arc also set the single-season records for Conference USA. He closed the year ranked among the top 10 single-season school records for points per game average (21.1, T2nd), field goals made (220, 8th), field goals attempted (539, 4th), free throw percentage (86.3, 4th) and minutes played (1,170, 4th).
Joining Vaden will be senior guard Paul Delaney III, who returns after receiving a medical redshirt a year ago. During his junior campaign in 2006-07, Delaney averaged 15.5 points, 5.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds per contest on his way to earning first-team all-conference accolades. Additionally, senior forward Lawrence Kinnard, who was a third-team all-league performer last season, returns as the team's second-leading scorer (11.1 ppg) and leading rebounder (6.8 rpg) from last year's 23-11 squad.
Additionally, the Blazers will return starting point guard Aaron Johnson, who was one of the league's top passing guards a year ago. The Chicago, Ill. native ranked among the top 10 in the conference with an average of 4.1 assists per contest, while also contributing 5.2 points per game.
"This is a great honor for us and for Robert," Davis said. "At the same time, we will have our work cut out for us. This is going to be a very competitive league and it will feature a lot of very good teams."
The women's basketball team returns eight letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's squad that finished third in Conference USA. The Blazers also welcome six newcomers to the team this season.
The Blazers will be led by top returnees Britney Jones and Amanda Peterson. Jones, a 5-7 senior guard, has been honored twice in the past by C-USA as a member of the All-Freshman team (2005-06) and as the league's Sixth Player of the Year (2006-07). Jones has averaged 11.4 ppg during her three-year career, while also ranking first on the team and 36th in the nation in steals (82) a season ago.
A 5-10 sophomore, Peterson joins Jones as one of the top returning guards in the conference. She was tabbed as the league's Sixth Player of the Year and earned a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman team last year. Peterson put up big numbers in her first year as a Blazer with 8.5 ppg, while shooting a team-best 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.
"Even though we are young, we have a nice mixture of returning players and newcomers," said Smith. "This is a very talented team and we are excited to see what they can do when we start practice Friday."
The UAB men's basketball team opens the season on Nov. 15 at Troy, with tip-off slated for 2 p.m. CT. The women begin their schedule on Nov. 14 when they host Stetson at 7 p.m. at Bartow Arena.
