The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Hoops On The Haasephalt Keeps Unique Tradition
10/7/2015 12:00:00β―AM | Men's Basketball
BY STEVE IRVINE
The task was clear but far from simple. Find a way, Jerod Haase asked of himself and his staff, to tip off his first preseason as the UAB men’s basketball head coach in a unique way. And do so while the clock ticked quickly toward the opening of practice for the 2012-13 season.
His original hope was to have a Midnight Madness event but said that was getting “little traction.” Some ideas were nixed, others simply didn’t pan out. Assistant coach Rob Ehsan then came up with an out-of-the-box – or in the case out-of-the-gym - plan.
“For a lot of us, it was the first time in the South and the weather being nice,” said Ehsan, who coached at Maryland and Virginia Tech before coming to UAB. “I kind of had the idea and asked Coach ‘Why don’t we do something outdoors?’”
At the time, Ehsan said, a couple of other programs had plans for outdoor events but no one had done it regularly. The Blazers’ coaching staff quickly did some research, reaching out to a company called Flex Court Athletics, to see if the idea was feasible. When told that setting up an outdoor court, complete with temporary stands, would work, one of the most unique regular season practice opening events in college basketball was born.
Hoops on the Haasephalt officially turns four years old on Thursday. It’s grown into a highly anticipated annual event for UAB players, coaches and fans and an excellent recruiting opportunity. It’s been held in the middle of 14th Street South, alongside Heritage Hall, in the parking lot adjacent to the Ullman Building and will move to UAB Campus Green on Thursday.
“Some people have gone outside once or twice but this is almost like a tradition,” Ehsan said. “For us to be able to sustain it this long and this unique is pretty cool. I’m not sure that anybody – especially at our level – has something like this.”
While it has been a successful evening each time, but that doesn’t mean the first one didn’t come with a twinge of apprehension.
“I was very nervous,” Haase said. “I really didn’t know if there would be 50 people there or thousands. The fact that thousands came out, I think it was really pulled off well. It was a great start and allowed us to continue.”
It was a night filled with basketball, including 3-point shooting and dunk contests, with a little dancing mixed in. It was also a night where the temporary stands were completely filled.
“That first Hoops on the Haasephalt, I really think it was a special day for our program,” Ehsan said. “We always had this vision of we wanted to do some out of the box things, wanted to take the program to the next level. To have that event, the way it worked out, I remember everyone being excited.”
The excitement grew that evening when Tyler Madison, who played a big role last year, committed to play for the Blazers. William Lee, who visited the event during his senior year at Dallas County High, didn’t commit that evening but he did eventually choose the Blazers over a long list of suitors. Obviously, it wasn’t just that one evening that brought Madison, a former Shelby County High standout, or Lee to UAB, but the recruiting opportunity is a key component to the event.
“There have been recruits every year, whether they are seniors or juniors or sophomores,” Haase said. “We have a big number of guys there. We don’t want it too big because it will water it down but it is an important recruiting piece for us.”
Haase said the reaction from recruits is “what we’re selling is we are big time.” What exactly is that?
“Big time is how you do your business, how you handle your business,” Haase said. “We are trying to recruit at the highest level in the country and we have to prove we are a big time program. I think this kind of solidifies that.”
What the recruits, as well as fans and anyone else, will see on Thursday is something a little different than the last three years. Ehsan said there have been thoughts all along about taking the event to the Campus Green but it didn’t work out until this year. Other than the new location, there will be plenty of other first-time twists to the event.
“I think this is the year where it actually could be bigger and better,” Ehsan said. Haase is excited about the new look.
“I think it had a great starting point and now I think it has a life of its own,” Haase said. “This year, I said I want it to be outside, I want it to continue with that brand, but I want the actual event totally rebranded. I think when people come this year, they’ll say ‘Wow, that is completely different, even than what we saw in the past.’”
Obviously, one of the most compelling questions centers on how Haase will make his initial appearance. Thus far, he’s arrived in a car, helicopter and motorcycle. His favorite, by the way, was the second year when he showed up in the helicopter. But he does have one wish when it comes to his arrival.
“As time goes on, I want other things of the event to take center stage,” Haase said. “I thought having the entrance would be something to set it apart but, now, we have so many other features that when they talk about the event, it’s not just my entrance but others things they talk about.”
