The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Donnie Marsh Blog
12/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 26, 2009
What a nice way to go to the Christmas break! I hope as many of you as possible squeezed your way into Bartow Arena last night (Dec. 22) to see a very important non-conference win by your Blazers. That atmosphere was absolutely outstanding for our guys and I think their play down the stretch was a reflection of the energy they draw for our fans. To go to the break 11-1 with two (2) wins over top 25 teams in the past seven (7) days; to sandwich an 18 point road win at South Alabama (who turned around and beat #18 Florida in Gainesville); to win our 31st straight non-conference game in Bartow Arena; and to win our 10th in a row this year; is quite the Christmas present for this team. One of the real positive aspects of this team is the fact that it's someone different stepping into a major role almost every game. Last night with Howard, Elijah & George in foul trouble, "Coop" & Jamarr rose to the occasion. But with that being said, the true heart & soul of this team is AJ. He showed that in a big way last night as he played the entire 40 minutes collecting his first double-double in the process. If I had said that to most of you who hadn't seen or read about the game, you would probably have assumed the two categories would have been points & assists. But AJ did it with 10 REBOUNDS! His heart is a big as it needs to be. That sometimes leads him to try things he shouldn't. But with him you live with some of that because you feel somewhere during the course of the game he is going to make a play or plays that no one else on either team could make. It's nice to see him assert himself as the leader of this team at both ends of the floor.
As nice as the win over Butler was I want to make sure we don't gloss over that road win against South Alabama for a few reasons. First, we had a very nice welcome from our Blazer fans that made the trip. You may not be able to tell when the guys walk off the bus and through the gauntlet you set up because they are all trying to be real "cool". But trust me as we ride up in that bus and they see the signs and the faces, and they hear the chants and their names, they are giddy with excitement. Then inside the arena when they take the floor for warm-ups to hear "UAB, UAB", it puts them in a real good comfort zone. Thanks for that because as you can now see, we beat a decent South Alabama team at their place, pretty soundly. And second, because we proved we could come off a very big & emotional win, re-focus and win on the road without looking ahead. That is evidence of a team maturing.
Now our kids get some time off to relax, recharge and spend time with their families. We have a couple of kids who won't make the trip home so they'll go to either Coach Davis' house or mine to enjoy Christmas dinner. We'll get back to work as a team on the 26th as we prepare to pick up where we left off. As a staff we'll stay at it during this "break" as we get ready to travel to UVA next week. We will all take time to be with our families on this very special holiday. There is nothing better than that. We all have to take opportunities like this to remember what's truly important - faith & family. It sure does help to be playing good basketball too J! Speaking of family I think it's time for me to get out of this office. I just remembered I still have some shopping to do. I wish all our Blazer fans a wonderfully blessed and safe Christmas holiday. Take time to reflect on all the special things you have experienced during this year and be sure to give thanks. God Bless!
GO BLAZERS!!!
