The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Reigning Conference USA Champions Begin Practice Monday
10/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB men’s basketball team begins its 2015-16 Conference USA title defense Monday at 3 p.m. when the Blazers hold their first official practice in preparation for the 2016-17 season.
UAB returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from a squad that set school records in overall wins (26), Conference USA wins (16), consecutive victories (14) and road wins (10) on its way to winning the league title by four games.
Along the way, UAB finished the season second in the NCAA with 6.1 blocks per game and third in the nation with 18.4 assists per game. Junior forward William Lee swatted 2.9 shots per game to rank eighth in the NCAA en route to being named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year while earning a spot on the league’s all-defensive team.
“We’re excited to get back to work and hold our first official practice on Monday,” UAB head coach Robert Ehsan said. “We have a veteran nucleus with a lot of talent and experience to go along with a strong freshman class, and we expect this group to once again compete for another league championship.”
Junior guard Nick Norton doled out 5.1 assists per game and paced Conference USA with a 3.0 assist/turnover ratio on his way to All-C-USA Third Team accolades. In addition, the Bloomington, Ill., native was selected as the C-USA Men’s Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Forward Chris Cokley averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 57.3 percent from the field to earn a spot on the All-Conference USA Second Team. Swingman Dirk Williams poured in 9.3 points and shot 38.4 percent from three-point range to become the second straight Blazer to be tabbed the Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year. Cokley won the award in 2015 as a freshman.
Senior guard Hakeem Baxter returns for his final year after averaging 5.9 points and 2.1 assists per game while serving as one of the league’s top perimeter defenders.
“This last month we pushed ourselves to be in the best physical shape heading into practice on Monday,” Norton said. “We are really excited to get things started with Coach Ehsan, and we believe his leadership and guidance will be key in making this a special year.”
The Blazers also feature one of the top benches in the league, using a rotation comprised of versatile guards and post players. In fact, 10 of the 12 players on the roster last season started at least one game and only one player averaged over 28 minutes per game. Additionally, the UAB bench poured in at least 40 points in 11 different games and accounted for over 41 percent of the team’s overall point production.
UAB opens the season Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. with an exhibition game against Lindenwood University at Bartow Arena. The regular season kicks off Nov. 11 when the UAB hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7 p.m. The Blazers feature a challenging non-conference slate of games that includes Kansas, Saint Mary’s, Memphis and Texas.
The Blazers open league play on New Year’s Day with a trip to Middle Tennessee to begin a three-game road trip. UAB plays its first home Conference USA game Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. when the Blazers welcome WKU to Bartow Arena.
UAB and the city of Birmingham have once again been chosen to host the 2017 Conference USA Men's Basketball Championship. The championship is scheduled for March 8-11 at Legacy Arena in downtown Birmingham.
Season tickets for UAB's 17 games at Bartow Arena are on sale for $239 to the general public and $215 to UAB employees and active members of the National Alumni Society. Blazer fans can also enjoy a limited number of season tickets in Blaze's Corner for $99 (available while supplies last).
Tickets and parking passes can be purchased online or by calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office (205-975-UAB1).
For more information on UAB men’s basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MBB), Instagram (@blazerhoops) and Snapchat (@UAB_MBB).
