UAB men’s basketball set for exhibition opener vs. Miles

BIRMINGHAM - The UAB men’s basketball team will open the 2009-10 season with an exhibition contest against Miles College on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Bartow Arena. The contest will mark the first and only exhibition contest this season.

The contest marks the return of former UAB player and current Miles head coach Chris Giles. Giles played under Hall of Famer and former Blazer head coach Gene Bartow from 1979-82 and was also an assistant coach under Mike Anderson from 2002-06. During his senior season in 1982, Giles played on what was considered by many as the most successful hoops team in UAB program history. That year, the Blazers finished with a 25-6 overall record and a berth in the NCAA Elite 8.

Miles comes into Tuesday’s exhibition in a similar situation as UAB. The Golden Bears lost all five of last year’s starters and return just four of 14 letterwinners from a year ago. Last season, Miles finished with an overall record of 13-15 and a 12-11 mark in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play.

This marks the first time UAB and Miles will do battle on the hardwood.

UAB is coming off a 22-12 overall record last season and an appearance in the 2009 National Invitation Tournament. In fact, over the last two seasons, the Blazers have racked up 45 victories and back-to-back NIT appearances. However, the Blazers lost seven letterwinners from last season’s squad, six of which were seniors, and bring back just three returning players, while also welcoming eight newcomers to this year’s team.

Leading the list of returnees will be senior forward Howard Crawford and junior point guard Aaron Johnson, the two lone returnees with starting experience. Crawford is the only senior on the team who has played all four years at UAB and has developed into a strong low-post player. Meanwhile, Davis feels Johnson is ready to take a leadership role this season.

There is also a plethora of new faces on this year’s team, highlighted by three transfers who are expected to pay immediate dividends. A pair of senior transfers, who were cleared to play this season by the NCAA in mid-October, are George Drake (Vanderbilt) and Kenneth Cooper (Louisiana Tech). The duo has combined to play in over 170 college basketball games and is expected to make an immediate impact on this year’s team. Another transfer, Elijah Millsap (Louisiana-Lafayette) has had a year to learn Davis’ offense after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Millsap is another player for whom Davis has high expectations.

Davis is going into his fourth season at the helm of the UAB men’s basketball team. Now in his 10th season as a head coach, Davis boasts a record of 60-39 at UAB and a 175-118 overall record during his coaching tenure.
(courtesy: UAB Sports Information)