The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Three Blazers Named to All-Conference USA Teams
3/5/2018 10:33:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After playing key roles in one of the most successful seasons in UAB women's basketball history, Rachael Childress, Deanna Kuzmanic and Miyah Barnes have all been named to All-Conference USA Teams, the league office announced on Monday morning.
Childress and Kuzmanic earned First Team nods, the first time either has been named to the top team, while Barnes was named to the Second Team. All three players find themselves on a C-USA postseason team for the second time in their careers after each was named to All-Freshman teams in their respective inaugural seasons in the Green and Gold.
UAB has now had eight players named First Team All-Conference and 12 players named Second Team All-Conference in program history.
"Deanna, Rachael and Miyah are all extremely deserving of their spots on the C-USA All-Conference Teams," head coach Randy Norton said. "All three do things the right way and are all about the team. They all exemplify what it means to be a UAB women's basketball player by pursuing excellence in the classroom, out in the community, in their personal lives and on the court. They all have a second-to-none work ethic and it's great to see their hard work pay off for them and our team. I am extremely proud of them and they are a blessing to coach."
Childress has been the Blazers' top scoring threat this season as she currently leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game. The sophomore has done most of her damage from long range, leading the league in 3-point field goal percentage (45.1) and 3-point field goals (93). Her shooting percentage from long range also ranks seventh in the NCAA.
The Moulton, Alabama, native's 93 3-pointers are currently third on the all-time list for most triples in a season, 10 behind the school record of 103 set by Amanda Peterson in 2010-11, while helping the Blazers set the school record for most 3-pointers in a season with 234 to date. She hit a career-high eight triples on Feb. 2 against UTEP, leading the way for the school record 17 3-pointers hit that night. She currently ranks fifth in program history with 188 career treys.
Her efforts at UTEP earned her C-USA Player of the Week honors on Feb. 7, the fifth weekly conference award of her career, and National Player of the Week honors as part of the NCAA's Starting Five.
Kuzmanic has arguably been the Blazers' most consistent player this season as she is currently averaging 13.9 points per game, is second on the team in assists with 108 and leads the team in steals with 41. She also boasts a 2.1 assist/turnover ratio, a category she ranks third in the league in.
Her most impressive performance of the season came on Feb. 24 against Louisiana Tech, when the junior guard posted a career-high 35 points to become the 28th member of UAB's 1,000-point club.
Since then, Kuzmanic has continued her strong play and has already moved up to No. 26 on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,047 points, the 10th most by a player through their first three years of their UAB career.
Barnes has been the Blazers' most unselfish player, dishing out the second most assists in the league this year at 145. Her assist total has played a huge role in the team's success this season and it has shown as the Blazers are now 22 assists shy of breaking the single-season school record. Barnes also posted five assists in UAB's school-record 34 assists performance against Tuskegee.
She has also been a mainstay at the top of the league in assist/turnover ratio, where she is currently second with a 2.3 ratio. Both Barnes' and Kuzmanic's efforts in this category have helped the team post a 1.4 team assist/turnover ratio which is currently on pace to shatter the school record. Barnes and Kuzmanic have played a major role in the national standings, as the team's 1.4 ratio is currently 9th in the NCAA, while the team's 17.8 assists per game is currently ranked 14th in the nation.
All three have helped the Blazers to a 24-5 overall record and 13-3 mark in conference play. The 24 wins match the most in program history, while the 13 conference wins are the most in history. The team also captured its first C-USA Regular Season Championship with its 74-66 win over UTSA on March 3.
UAB now turns its attention to the Conference USA Tournament, which begins on Thursday at 11 a.m. The Blazers will await the winner of the Southern Miss/UTEP game, which will be contested on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
For more information on the UAB women's basketball team follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB), Instagram (UAB_WBBALL) or like them on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABWBB).
Childress and Kuzmanic earned First Team nods, the first time either has been named to the top team, while Barnes was named to the Second Team. All three players find themselves on a C-USA postseason team for the second time in their careers after each was named to All-Freshman teams in their respective inaugural seasons in the Green and Gold.
UAB has now had eight players named First Team All-Conference and 12 players named Second Team All-Conference in program history.
"Deanna, Rachael and Miyah are all extremely deserving of their spots on the C-USA All-Conference Teams," head coach Randy Norton said. "All three do things the right way and are all about the team. They all exemplify what it means to be a UAB women's basketball player by pursuing excellence in the classroom, out in the community, in their personal lives and on the court. They all have a second-to-none work ethic and it's great to see their hard work pay off for them and our team. I am extremely proud of them and they are a blessing to coach."
Childress has been the Blazers' top scoring threat this season as she currently leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game. The sophomore has done most of her damage from long range, leading the league in 3-point field goal percentage (45.1) and 3-point field goals (93). Her shooting percentage from long range also ranks seventh in the NCAA.
The Moulton, Alabama, native's 93 3-pointers are currently third on the all-time list for most triples in a season, 10 behind the school record of 103 set by Amanda Peterson in 2010-11, while helping the Blazers set the school record for most 3-pointers in a season with 234 to date. She hit a career-high eight triples on Feb. 2 against UTEP, leading the way for the school record 17 3-pointers hit that night. She currently ranks fifth in program history with 188 career treys.
Her efforts at UTEP earned her C-USA Player of the Week honors on Feb. 7, the fifth weekly conference award of her career, and National Player of the Week honors as part of the NCAA's Starting Five.
Kuzmanic has arguably been the Blazers' most consistent player this season as she is currently averaging 13.9 points per game, is second on the team in assists with 108 and leads the team in steals with 41. She also boasts a 2.1 assist/turnover ratio, a category she ranks third in the league in.
Her most impressive performance of the season came on Feb. 24 against Louisiana Tech, when the junior guard posted a career-high 35 points to become the 28th member of UAB's 1,000-point club.
Since then, Kuzmanic has continued her strong play and has already moved up to No. 26 on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,047 points, the 10th most by a player through their first three years of their UAB career.
Barnes has been the Blazers' most unselfish player, dishing out the second most assists in the league this year at 145. Her assist total has played a huge role in the team's success this season and it has shown as the Blazers are now 22 assists shy of breaking the single-season school record. Barnes also posted five assists in UAB's school-record 34 assists performance against Tuskegee.
She has also been a mainstay at the top of the league in assist/turnover ratio, where she is currently second with a 2.3 ratio. Both Barnes' and Kuzmanic's efforts in this category have helped the team post a 1.4 team assist/turnover ratio which is currently on pace to shatter the school record. Barnes and Kuzmanic have played a major role in the national standings, as the team's 1.4 ratio is currently 9th in the NCAA, while the team's 17.8 assists per game is currently ranked 14th in the nation.
All three have helped the Blazers to a 24-5 overall record and 13-3 mark in conference play. The 24 wins match the most in program history, while the 13 conference wins are the most in history. The team also captured its first C-USA Regular Season Championship with its 74-66 win over UTSA on March 3.
UAB now turns its attention to the Conference USA Tournament, which begins on Thursday at 11 a.m. The Blazers will await the winner of the Southern Miss/UTEP game, which will be contested on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
For more information on the UAB women's basketball team follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB), Instagram (UAB_WBBALL) or like them on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABWBB).
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