The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Trio Of Blazers Earn All-Conference Honors
3/11/2019 10:49:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM – After helping the Blazers to a 24-5 regular season record and a second place finish in the Conference USA standings, Rachael Childress, Deanna Kuzmanic and Miyah Barnes of the UAB women's basketball team have all earned All-Conference USA accolades, the league announced on Monday.
Childress earned First Team honors for the second consecutive season, while Kuzmanic and Barnes placed on the Second Team. Kuzmanic and Barnes also garnered All-Conference honors for the second consecutive season as Kuzmanic was a First-Team selection a season ago and Barnes was a Second-Team.
"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 in the right way and are all about the team. They 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 have a second-to-none work ethic and it is great to see their hard work pay off for them and our team. I am extremely proud of them as they are such a blessing to coach."
Childress earns First-Team honors after a season in which she led the Blazers in scoring (14.8), 3-point field goals (106) and finished second in total field goals (149). The junior's 106 made triples ranks second all-time in program history for most in a single season, while her 249 attempts also ranks second. For her career the Moulton, Ala., native has amassed 308 made 3-pointers good for the second most in program history and just 11 shy of the school record. Childress became the 29th member of UAB's 1,000-point scorers club earlier this season as she has recorded 1,272 points, good for the 20th most in school history.
Kuzmanic's Second Team honors come after an impressive senior season in which she recorded her first and second career double doubles, with the last one coming in the regular season finale at Louisiana Tech that helped UAB secure a second place finish in the C-USA standings. Kuzmanic ranked second on the season in scoring (12.6) and tallied 366 points to raise her to 1,482 points in her career, the 12th most in program history. The Mount Prospect, Ill., native has led the Blazers in scoring 33 times over her career, including netting a season best 31 points in the Championship Game of the Hilton Garden Inn Classic en route to being named the Tournament MVP and earning C-USA Player of the Week honors.
Barnes rounds out the Blazers to earn All-Conference honors after the junior dished out 144 assists, good for the eighth most in a single season in UAB history. The junior ranks third all-time in career assists (399) and led the Green and Gold in assists on 18 occasions this year. Barnes consistently ranked among the nation's and C-USA's best in assist-to-turnover ratio, assists and assists per game. The Memphis, Tenn., native proved her ability to score the basketball as well, ranking fourth on the team in points per game (10.6), while netting a career high 23 points in the Blazers' win over Southern Miss and produced nine games with 15 points or more.
UAB now turns its attention to the Conference USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas, where the Blazers will face the winner of the No. 7 Charlotte vs. No. 10 Louisiana Tech matchup. Tipoff for the Blazers' quarterfinal game on March 14 is set for 1:30 p.m. on Court A at The Star in Frisco. Fans not in attendance can catch all of the action live on Stadium TV.
For more information on the UAB women's basketball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB), on Instagram (UAB_WBBall) or like them on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABWBB).
Childress earned First Team honors for the second consecutive season, while Kuzmanic and Barnes placed on the Second Team. Kuzmanic and Barnes also garnered All-Conference honors for the second consecutive season as Kuzmanic was a First-Team selection a season ago and Barnes was a Second-Team.
"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 in the right way and are all about the team. They 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 have a second-to-none work ethic and it is great to see their hard work pay off for them and our team. I am extremely proud of them as they are such a blessing to coach."
Childress earns First-Team honors after a season in which she led the Blazers in scoring (14.8), 3-point field goals (106) and finished second in total field goals (149). The junior's 106 made triples ranks second all-time in program history for most in a single season, while her 249 attempts also ranks second. For her career the Moulton, Ala., native has amassed 308 made 3-pointers good for the second most in program history and just 11 shy of the school record. Childress became the 29th member of UAB's 1,000-point scorers club earlier this season as she has recorded 1,272 points, good for the 20th most in school history.
Kuzmanic's Second Team honors come after an impressive senior season in which she recorded her first and second career double doubles, with the last one coming in the regular season finale at Louisiana Tech that helped UAB secure a second place finish in the C-USA standings. Kuzmanic ranked second on the season in scoring (12.6) and tallied 366 points to raise her to 1,482 points in her career, the 12th most in program history. The Mount Prospect, Ill., native has led the Blazers in scoring 33 times over her career, including netting a season best 31 points in the Championship Game of the Hilton Garden Inn Classic en route to being named the Tournament MVP and earning C-USA Player of the Week honors.
Barnes rounds out the Blazers to earn All-Conference honors after the junior dished out 144 assists, good for the eighth most in a single season in UAB history. The junior ranks third all-time in career assists (399) and led the Green and Gold in assists on 18 occasions this year. Barnes consistently ranked among the nation's and C-USA's best in assist-to-turnover ratio, assists and assists per game. The Memphis, Tenn., native proved her ability to score the basketball as well, ranking fourth on the team in points per game (10.6), while netting a career high 23 points in the Blazers' win over Southern Miss and produced nine games with 15 points or more.
UAB now turns its attention to the Conference USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas, where the Blazers will face the winner of the No. 7 Charlotte vs. No. 10 Louisiana Tech matchup. Tipoff for the Blazers' quarterfinal game on March 14 is set for 1:30 p.m. on Court A at The Star in Frisco. Fans not in attendance can catch all of the action live on Stadium TV.
For more information on the UAB women's basketball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB), on Instagram (UAB_WBBall) or like them on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABWBB).
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's BasketballUAB Baseball | The Quick Cut: at Alabama
Thursday, April 23
UAB Beach Volleyball | The Quick Cut: Blazer Beach Bash
Saturday, April 18
UAB Softball | The Quick Cut: Memphis Series
Thursday, April 09
UAB vs ECU Post Game Press Conference
Sunday, March 08
