The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
New Season Begins For Men's Basketball Friday
11/7/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 7, 2013
Game Details:
Columbus State vs. UAB
Details: Friday, November 8, 2013 • 7 p.m. • Bartow Arena • Birmingham, Ala.
Game Coverage: Live Stats • Twitter • Watch Here
Game Notes: UAB • Columbus State
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The 2013-14 UAB men's basketball team will make its regular season debut Friday as the Blazers tip off the year against Columbus State at 7 p.m. CT inside Bartow Arena.
Head coach Jerod Haase's team will not be the only one making a debut on Friday. Fans will also get their first glimpse of UAB's new court, which is set to be put down in time for the season-opening game.
For ticket information, please contact the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at 205-975-8221.
Five Things To Know For Friday
• UAB will be meeting Columbus State for the second time in school history. The Blazers won the only meeting against then Columbus College, 56-42, in 1982.
• The Blazers begin their 36th season of men’s basketball in 2013-14. UAB is just four wins away from 700 in school history (696-417, .599).
• UAB plays 17 home games this season -- the most in UAB history.
• Forward C.J. Washington scored 23 points in his UAB debut against Milligan College in exhibition play.
• UAB debuts its new floor during Friday’s game at Bartow Arena.
UAB Notes
Washington Shines Against Milligan
• UAB junior forward and newcomer C.J. Washington was impressive in Sunday’s exhibition against Milligan. Washington led all scorers in the game with 23 points after scoring 19 in the first half.
• Washington hit his first six shots against the Buffs and finished the game hitting 10-of-13 from the field.
• The most points scored by a UAB player in his first game with the Blazers is 26, which came from Robert Vaden against Georgia State on Nov. 10, 2007.
Blazers’ Starting Five Features Two Newcomers
• The UAB starting five featured a pair of new faces against Milligan on Sunday. The Blazers started junior guard Chad Frazier and junior forward C.J. Washington against the Buffs. Along with Washington’s game-high 23 points, Frazier led UAB in assists with 6.
Point Production Returns
• UAB, which finished as the No. 5 scoring team in Conference USA a year ago with 71.4 points per game, returns its top four leading scorers (Rod Rucker, Jordan Swing, Fahro Alihodzic and Robert Williams). In fact, Blazer returners accounted for 54.4 points per game last season -- 76 percent of UAB’s per-game scoring average.
Strong 2013 Recruiting Class To Help Blazers
• UAB’s recruiting class found itself in the national spotlight this offseason as the Blazers’ class was ranked No. 18 in the nation by HoopScoop.com. UAB’s 2014 signing class includes freshmen Denzell Watts (Flint, Mich.), Tosin Mehinti (Lithonia, Ga.), Tyler Madison (Columbiana, Ala.) and junior college transfers Thaddeus Rideau (Brown Mackie CC), Chad Frazier (Gulf Coast (Fla.) CC), and C.J. Washington (Tallahassee (Fla.) CC). Robert Brown, a transfer from Virginia Tech, will practice with the team this season before becoming eligible for the 2014-15 season.
Top Two Scorers Back In The Swing
• Rod Rucker, who was a 2013 Second Team All-Conference USA performer and last year’s leading scorer with 14.5 points per game, returns for his senior season. Rucker was the only Blazer to start all 33 games last season, scoring in double figures in 26 of those contests.
• Joining Rucker on the 2013-14 roster will be fellow senior and last season’s second-leading scorer Jordan Swing. The Birmingham native and Western Kentucky transfer averaged 14.0 points per game last year and tallied 26 double-digit scoring efforts.
• Rucker and Swing each either tied for the team lead or led the team in scoring in 29 of UAB’s 33 games in 2012-13.
Scouting Columbus State
• Columbus State enters its fourth season under head coach Robert Moore. The Cougars, who play at the NCAA Division II level, were picked to finish seventh out of 14 teams in the Peach Belt Conference this season. Last year, CSU went 13-13 overall and was just shy of making the PBC Tournament. Columbus State returns three starters from year’s team, including B.J. Battle, who averaged 9.5 points per game.
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UABAthletics or @CoachJerodHaase), Facebook (UAB Men's Basketball) or on the web (www.UABSports.com).
