ULM at UAB

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PROJECTED STARTERS

UAB

G - Terence Jones (Sr., 6'2, 185), 8.5 ppg, 4.2 apg

G - Robert Williams (Jr., 6'4, 210), 9.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg

F - Jordan Swing (Jr., 6'6, 200), 15.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg

F - Rod Rucker (Jr., 6'5, 220), 12.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg

C - Fahro Alihodzic (Jr., 6'10, 240), 10.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg

ULM

G - R.J. McCray (Jr., 6-2, 190), 9.3 ppg, 2.1 apg

G - Marcelis Hansberry (Jr., 6-0, 185), 6.7 pph

G - Trent Mackey (So., 6-4, 180), 11.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg

F - Jayon James (Jr., 6-6, 235), 9.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg

F - Millaun Brown (Jr., 6-7, 220), 5.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg

THE BUZZ: This marks the end of UAB's tour through the Sun Belt and ULM is a team still reeling from APR sanctions that have crippled the program. The teams' only meeting came in 1994 when UAB won 85-67 in Puerto Rico. ULM's best player is a 6-foot-4 guard named Amos Olatayo, but he's only played in four games because of injury and likely won't play tonight.




Q & A with Dusty Thibodeaux of WarhawkReport. Dusty is definitely a ULM expert.

1. Looking at the record, what's been the biggest problem with ULM so far this season?

ULM's record is about what was expected. Although Head Coach Keith RIchard is in his third year leading the Warhawks, his first two seasons were spent getting out of the APR hole caused by the prior coaching staff. ULM has played some tough games thus far including Oklahoma, Florida State, and Louisiana Tech. Additionally with ULM still limited on the number of games and practice time, it's been rough getting the team adjusted to the new faces on the roster.

2. How much did probation from the low APR really set back this program?

The APR issues were really bad enough that Richard was awarded a 2 year contract extension after posting just five wins during his reign at head coach. I think this shows just how bad the situation was that he inherited and was also acknowledged by the administration.

3. Who are some key guys to watch for ULM?

Jayon James is a newcomer this season and a solid player. It has seemed like every game has had a new player really step up. Last game, at FSU, sophomore guard Trent Mackey exploded for a career night, while fellow guard Marcelus Hansberry is always one to watch. Should he return from his injury, Amos Olatayo is the star of the team, but has seen limited playing time due to a nagging injury.

4. Any injuries or guys sitting out for various reasons?

Olatayo is the only injury to date. Last seasons standout, Charles Winborne, is no longer with the team due to academic problems.

 

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UAB ready for three-game home stretch



After four long plane trips and five losses by nine or more points, UAB is happy to be at home for the next three weeks.

The Blazers (5-6) begin a three-game home stretch on Thursday, hosting Louisiana-Monroe at 7 p.m. UAB hosts Northeastern on Dec. 29 and Georgia Southern on Jan. 2. Its next road game isn't until Jan. 5 at Dayton.

UAB's road trip lowlights include an 18-point loss at North Carolina and losses of 20 points at Middle Tennessee, 12 on a neutral site to Illinois State and 17 at Creighton. UAB is coming off an 88-79 loss at Rutgers on Sunday where the Scarlet Knights led by as many as 25 before UAB rallied late.

UAB did beat Troy by 20 on the road. Three of UAB's four home wins have been by double digits.

"If we played North Carolina, Creighton, Illinois State or Middle Tennessee in Bartow Arena and played those other teams on the road, I don't know if we're 0-10 or 10-0, but it's a whole different ballgame ," UAB head coach Jerod Haase said. "Part of it is the competition but having said that, Bartow Arena is a great home-court advantage and we've had success here.

"It's been a monstrous schedule. It's not like we're chartering flights. When you go to Rutgers, practice 11 a.m. (in Birmingham Saturday), get in at 10 p.m. (to Rutgers Saturday night), play at 11 a.m. (Sunday morning) and get back to Birmingham at 12:30 at night, it's a significant deal. The Creighton trip (which featured a long delay on the return) was a disaster. It will be nice to be home."

Rutgers hit its first 10 shots and 15 of its first 16 in building a 33-11 lead. Poor defense, or hitting some unrealistic shots?

"It was a combination," Haase said. "Usually the answer is always somewhere in the middle. It's hard to shoot 15 of 16. A couple of the 3s were five feet behind the line. Most of the big guys' shots were over a hand and contested, spinning shots and things like that, but at the same time a team doesn't make 15 out of 16 if you're playing great defense."

Haase said there were some breakdowns in the zone defense, which Rutgers shot them out of by hitting deep 3-pointers, and some mistakes in man as well, such as not fighting screens as well as they could have.

"They are all correctable errors," Haase said. "You're never going to play a perfect game, but that's what you try and do. We just came out flat, whether it's the 7 a.m. wakeup or the travel the day before. It doesn't matter, you've got to come out ready."

Haase didn't have a detailed scouting report on ULM (1-6) yet, but noted that the Warhawks hung with Florida State on the road on Monday in a 15-point loss. Sophomore guard Trent Mackey scored 22 of the team's 48 points in the 63-48 loss.

"With us, it doesn't matter if we're playing North Carolina or ULM, we're trying to make UAB the best we can be," Haase said. "We're going to be prepared for the things they do, but it's more about us."

Through 11 games, Haase didn't expect to make any lineup changes, but said, "I'm not saying definitely not, but we are going to switch it up in practice more for letting different guys play with different people. No changes right now."

Haase said a big challenge has been getting a team, which has three seniors and six juniors, to play with more effort.

"I need to keep hammering away at always being ready and getting more sustained effort," Haase said. "We have peaks and valleys which I don't think we should have especially since we're a veteran team."
Haase also said that sophomore guard/forward K.C. Whitaker (ankle) was getting closer to a return "sooner than later."