Since joining the Division 1 ranks in 1979, the University of Alabama-Birmingham has consistently been one of the most respected mid-major programs in the nation. Thanks to Mike Anderson’s “40 Minutes of Hell”, UAB started the millennium as a feared Cinderella, beating Kentucky, LSU and Washington in his four-year tenure before getting hired by Missouri. A decade later, the Jerod Haase led Blazers beat three-seed Iowa State, its last March Madness victory to date.
Now led by former Cincinnati and Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy, UAB were poised to enter last year’s March Madness as a popular underdog, but a twelve-seed/five-seed matchup against the laughably underseeded Houston Cougars ended their season.
With Kennedy joining the Blazers after a two-year coaching hiatus working for ESPN, UAB fans have been overwhelmingly ecstatic for how the team has performed thanks to an overall 49-15 record and a dominant 27-9 conference record. Not only are the Blazers winning, but they are starting to look like the style of play Kennedy’s teams are known for: a fast-tempoed offense, good guard play, strong offensive rebounding and good rim protection.
This fun and successful style of play has helped Kennedy and his staff to add immediate impact talent on the transfer portal and this season is no exception. A major reason for excitement in Birmingham, in addition to their transfer haul, is that the four returning players utilizing their fifth-year of eligibility started a total of 119 games for UAB last season, averaging a combined 45.5 points per game.
Players Opting in for Fifth Year of Eligibility
The clear cut alpha-dog is Jordan “Jelly” Walker, a dynamite 5’11 170 point guard who has steadily improved in each of his four seasons. Averaging 20.3 points per game last year, Walker is a three-level bucket-getter who is especially efficient from deep (39.6 3p%) and on the charity stripe (88.0 ft%). Walker has the skill and moxie that just looks like a guard that will lead the Blazers through a long tournament run, a Morris Finley, if you will.
Another transfer who joined UAB prior to the 2021-22 season and is returning for his fifth year of eligibility is KJ Buffen. Scoring 740 points and securing 459 rebounds in his first three seasons at Ole Miss, the 6’8 230 power forward is strong, yet athletic for his size and has the skill to comfortably score from midrange. Next season, Buffen is expected to reprise his starting spot at the 4.
In the 2020 offseason, one of Kennedy’s first recruits was Clemson transfer Trey Jemison. The 6’11 260 big has been a consistent post presence, averaging 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 56.9% from the field across his two seasons in Birmingham. Nationally ranked in offensive and defensive rebound rate, as well as block rate, Jemison will use his fifth-year of eligibility to return to his starting role at the post.
A part-time starter last season who finished the year as an important bench piece is returning fifth-year senior Tavin Lovan. The 6’4 210 physical guard is a bit of a Swiss Army knife, playing the 3 and 4 spots over his career. Not a threat on the perimeter (just 12 for 42 from three in his career), Lovan is a tough guard who loves to finish through contact and is the team’s best downhill driver. The lone scholarship remaining from the Rob Ehsan tenure, Lovan took more of a secondary scoring role last season, but with 1282 career points, Lovan is poised to finish his UAB career amongst the program’s top-ten in career scoring. A consummate team-first player, Lovan will be a valuable piece regardless if he starts or comes off the bench.
With four potential starters utilizing their extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic, UAB has arguably the most accomplished collection of returning fifth-year seniors (San Diego State can make the case too), but the preseason hype of the program would not be complete without breaking down their five-man transfer haul.
Incoming Transfers
UAB’s defense last year was notorious for their smothering ability to generate turnovers and the archetype of this style of play was elite perimeter defender Quan Jackson. With Jackson exhausting his eligibility, a major priority this offseason was to replace his two-way ability and Andy Kennedy hit a home run solving this priority by adding LSU’s Eric Gaines. While the former four-star recruit does not have the same height and strength as Jackson, his elite athleticism and length (a 6’9 wingspan!) from the point guard position is remarkable.
He was the ringleader of LSU’s transition defense to offense, with Gaines ranked 22nd nationally in steal rate and a major contributor to the team’s sixth most efficient defense, according to KenPom. Not only does Gaines’ defense generate turnovers, but he is a menacing perimeter defender as part of LSU’s fourth best opponent 3p% (28.2%). While his shooting splits are not ideal, they have improved from his freshman season (25.0 2p% to 46.0 2p%, 17.2 3p% to 25.0 3p%, 72.7 ft% to 79.3 3p%). Continuing to add strength (his listed weight is now 165 after starting his career at 150) should improve his ability to finish at the rim while his strong free-throw numbers suggest an ability to continue to grow as an outside shooter. Gaines’ ability to play point better than Walker’s backcourt partner last season, Michae Ertell, allows more opportunities to play Walker off-ball, which might decrease Walker’s counting stats, but will ultimately help make UAB a better offensive team and a harder team to defend.
The biggest threat to Lovan’s starting spot is ETSU grad transfer Ledarrius Brewer. With 1667 career points across two seasons apiece at Southeast Missouri State and ETSU, Brewer has been the number one scoring option throughout his time in college. The 6’5 190 wing is a true three-level bucket getter with good shooting efficiency (career 48.5 2p%, 34.7 3p%, 72.6 ft%) who is a good enough defender (24th best steal rate in the SoCon last season) and rebounder (5.3 per game) to fit Kennedy’s system. Similar to Lovan, Brewer split his time at the 3 and the 4 at ETSU and he will be a valuable scorer whether he starts or comes off the bench.
Joining Ledarrius is his younger brother Ty Brewer, a 6’7 200 grad transfer who was also at ETSU for the last two seasons. Starting every game last season at the 5, Brewer will likely back up Buffen at the 4, bringing more size and a stretch ability to the backup spot compared to last year’s options. Like his older brother, Ty does a little bit of everything, with season averages last year of 10.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks and efficient enough shooting splits of 53.3 2p%, 27.3 3p% (almost one three made per game) and 74.6 ft%.
Last season, LSU transfer Josh LeBlanc was a key component to UAB’s frontcourt defense, but after injuring his knee on February 5th, it was clear that providing another big to tag team with Jemison would be an offseason priority. In April, UAB filled that need by adding Mississippi State transfer Javian Davis. More of a true big than LeBlanc, the 6’9 265 senior, with two years of eligibility remaining, averaged 13.2 minutes per game throughout his three seasons in the SEC. While not a shot blocker, Davis will add strength, rebounding and experience to the frontcourt rotation, likely playing somewhere in the ten to fifteen minute a game range and an adequate candidate to start should Jemison miss any time.
Helping to replace the lights out perimeter shooting of Ertel is Binghamton transfer Tyler Bertram. The 6’3 185 shooting guard was a part-time starter for the Bears doing most of his offensive work on the perimeter. Last season, about two-thirds of his shot attempts were from three, making two threes per game and averaging nine points. Bertram’s perimeter play makes for a perfect replacement for Jamal Johnson (transferred to Chattanooga) as a shooting guard off the bench.
End of Rotation Depth
UAB’s depth last season helped allow the Blazers to perpetually pressure opponents on the defensive end and keep the tempo high on the offensive end. Occasionally playing rotations as deep as eleven players, there’s a reasonable chance that each of the twelve scholarship pieces will play meaningful minutes this season.
Incoming junior forward Rongie Gordon stepped up as the backup big when LeBlanc was out, averaging 14.2 minutes per game after the injury compared to just 7.4 minutes per game prior to the injury. The former three-star recruit held high-major offers from Alabama, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and Ole Miss, flashing strong rebounding and rim-protecting ability when looking at his per-40 stats (9.1 rebounds, 2 blocks) along with some stretch ability. With the talent in front of him, the 6’8 225 Gordon will likely play sparingly, but he possesses intriguing upside.
Another returnee from the 2020 class is Tony Toney. UAB was the only D1 school that offered the 6’2 195 guard, but he’s played in 46 total games, shooting efficiently when getting the chance (57.4 2p% and 50.0 3p%). Look for Toney to reprise his depth guard role this upcoming season.
The lone high school commit of the 2022 class is Efrem Johnson, who finished his high school career at Grissom High in Huntsville. Earning twelve D1 offers out of high school, the 6’3 180 guard has earned the nickname “Butta” thanks to ability to make tough shots look easy. In his freshman season, playing time will be minimal, but his skill and extensive list of offers make it easy to predict a long, successful career in Birmingham.
In their last year in the Conference USA, the Blazers are poised to be one of the best, if not the king of the conference and one of the most feared underdogs in March Madness. Earning a twelve-seed last season, UAB is capable of meeting or exceeding that performance and have plenty of talent and depth to make a run in March. Early season non-conference games against West Virginia, South Carolina, Saint Bonaventure and possibly Georgia will be good tests to see how the Blazers can compete against top flight conference mates and high majors they look to face in the tournament.
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