Birmingham, Alabama- The UAB men’s basketball team bid adieu to the regular season last Saturday by beating (handily) C*USA opponent the Marshall Thundering Herd, 70-52. The day was also the Blazers Senior Day. The Blazers had 5 seniors for the game and for the first tip all 5 took the floor for their final regular season game of their careers. Since the game was such a one-sided event this article will focus mainly on the Blazer seniors, their accomplishments and the upcoming games. The five Blazer seniors are-

Mike Davis Jr.-Son of Head Coach Mike Davis. Provided the Blazers with some much needed depth and played an important role in anchoring the Blazers tough defense.

Channing Toney- The son of an NBA legend Channing Toney grew up in the shadow of his father’s incredible accomplishments. However, this year Channing really stepped out from the shadow and came into his own. With his signature high shot he played as hard as anyone on the court and provided the Blazers with an extra dimension on the offensive and defensive end.

Lawrence Kinnard-If you watched Lou play this year three letters should have entered you mind, N B A. Lou has the height, the shot, and the heart of an NBA player. With a great dribble, great three point shot and incredible rebounding skills Lou will be deeply missed next year but will most likely earning millions of dollars so it probably isn’t mutual. Lawrence finished the year 2nd team CUSA.

Paul Delaney III- If the UAB basketball team was a human body then Paul was most definitely the heart and soul. When things got tough and started to go south it was Paul’s determination and fight that carried the team through some of its toughest contests. Paul (like Kinnard) has a great shot at the NBA. Much like Chris Paul III (notice the trend with the III) Paul could land a great Point Guard position at the NBA and go on to be one of the greatest to take the court. Paul finished the season 1st team CUSA and is looking to take the Blazers to the next level in the CUSA tourney.

Robert Vaden- Senior Robert Vaden brought a whole new dimension to the UAB basketball team that had been missing for some time…Vaden built some great excitement around the program and was nominated for Pre-season All-American and CUSA Player of the year; the first player to garnish such awards. Vaden also led the team in points and three pointers throughout the year. Also Vaden leads the UAB books in most three pointers attempted and most made. Vaden ended the season third team CUSA and looks to continue his three point barrage in the CUSA tourney.

Post Seaon and CUSA Tourney-
For these Blazer seniors the upcoming games may be the most important of their lives.
First off UAB is doing all it can to make the Big Dance. Though the odds are stacked against them the Blazers still have a strong shot at making the tournament. For the Blazers to even have a prayer they must at least make it to the championship game of the CUSA tournament and that will require winning their first two games. The Blazers have earned a #3 seed in the CUSA tournament and will play Thursday @ 2:30pm against the winner of UCF and Southern Miss.

If the Blazers do not made the big dance then there is a big chance that they could get #1 seed in the NIT tourney and thus getting home court advantage. Plus if there is a chance UAB hosts an NIT game then they could play big name opponents like Mississippi State or in-state rival Auburn.
Either way keep up with the Blazers on uabsports.com and look for the station that the CUSA tourney will be viewed on. Go Blazers and keep believing!!!

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