The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
GOODBYE, SENIORS...HELLO, CHAMPIONSHIP
3/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | General
March 5, 2011
Blazer fans,
It is absolutely mind boggling to think the regular season comes to an end in just a few hours. The Blazers will close things out at home tonight...and what a night it should be! It will be quite emotional before the game starts, and let's hope it's just as emotional after the final horn.
The first order of business will be the Senior Day festivities, scheduled to take place a little before tip-off. Steve Mitchell and I begged the fans at the conclusion of the Southern Miss game to come out tonight to salute this team, and I'll ask one more favor in that regard. Come to Bartow Arena, and be in your seats early. Mike Jones, Jamarr Sanders and Aaron Johnson are the three seniors that will be honored, and they deserve a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd.
Mike is a fan favorite and a team favorite, too. He's also smart...this will be his second Senior Day of the school year! Jamarr has been at UAB for a short time, but his production this year has made a lasting impression on the Blazer fans, and the rest of Conference USA. His 37 points against Rice earlier this year is the most scored in any C-USA game this season. And then there's A.J. His name is plastered all over the UAB record book, and fans have had the privilege of watching him for the last four years. His introduction could take forever tonight, especially with his entire family in attendance! No doubt all three players will remember this evening for a long time, and a win will make it even more memorable.
If the Green and Gold can knock off East Carolina, the Blazers are the outright Conference USA regular season Champions for the first time ever. An amazing win over Southern Miss in Hattiesburg on Wednesday night gave Mike Davis and company at least a share of the crown, but UAB wants to be greedy tonight and claim it all to themselves. It will NOT be easy, as the Pirates come in on a three-game winning streak, including victories over UTEP and Memphis. Jeff Lebo has done a great job in his first year in Greenville, and you know they'd like nothing better than to come spoil things for UAB.
Tip time is 7 PM...no television...and no reason for you NOT to be at Bartow Arena. Championships are awfully hard to win, and this team was picked to finish in the bottom third of C-USA in the pre-season. The job Mike Davis and his staff have done is remarkable, and the players have done a wonderful job of buying into what the coaches have been trying to get them to do. They play hard...they're good guys...and they have added to the Blazer trophy case. They deserve a full house tonight, and let's hope we can all celebrate the first outright league title since UAB won the Sun Belt crown in 1989-90.
Next week it's off to El Paso for the Conference USA Tournament for both the men and the women. Audra Smith's team is the #7 seed and will face #10 Marshall in the opening round. The Blazer men will have a bye and won't begin play at the Haskins Center until Thursday. I hope you'll tune in for the final Blazer Sportsline of the year, and because of our travel on Monday, the show will air on TUESDAY from 7:30-8:30 PM. We'll come to you from the Haskins Center, and I hope to have plenty of guests from "tournament central."
Now, I realize it's a rainy day here in Alabama, and, yes, you'll have to get out in it to come to the game tonight. It'll be nice and dry inside Bartow Arena once you get there. No excuses, Blazer fans. This team deserves a full house, and who wants to miss the opportunity of watching the Green and Gold win a title on their home floor?
I'll see you, and the champs, at Bartow Arena tonight!!!
DC
