1978-1979 UAB Blazers Men's basketball team
The 1978-1979 UAB Blazers men's basketball team were the inaugural team representing UAB as an Associate Member of the NCAA and of the Sun Belt Conference during the 1978-79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.
The Blazers were coached by Gene Bartow and played their home games at BJCC Coliseum in the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center.
The Blazers finished the regular season with a 15-11 record. As a team, the Blazers scored an average of 75.9 points per game while holding opponents to 71.7 points per game.
Schedule/Results
| Date | Rank | Opponent | Score | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 24 | Nebraska | 55-64 | Birmingham Coliseum | First Game | |
| November 25 | San Francisco State | 67-51 | Birmingham Coliseum | First Victory | |
| November 29 | Oklahoma City | 88-79 | Birmingham Coliseum | First Division I victory | |
| December 1 | vs. Southern Illinois | 72-80 | Columbia, MO | Show-Me Classic | |
| December 2 | vs. Eastern Kentucky | 88-77 | Columbia, MO | Show-Me Classic | |
| December 9 | at Mississippi | 77-82 (OT) | Oxford, MS | ||
| December 14 | Georgia State | 100-81 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| December 18 | South Alabama | 75-72 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| December 20 | Iowa State | 79-67 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| December 23 | Saint Louis | 73-70 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| December 30 | Florida State | 66-85 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| January 5 | at Georgia State | 100-81 | Atlanta, GA | ||
| January 6 | Illinois College | 108-70 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| January 10 | Southern Mississippi | 93-87 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| January 20 | at Iona | 59-61 | New Rochelle, NY | ||
| January 25 | at South Florida | 66-68 | Tampa, FL | ||
| January 27 | Jacksonville | 76-84 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| January 29 | at Southern Mississippi | 60-59 | Hattiesburg, MS | ||
| January 31 | St. Joseph's (IN) | 84-69 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| February 2 | Hawaii Rainbow | 85-75 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| February 3 | South Florida | 81-65 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| February 8 | at South Alabama | 69-71 | Mobile, AL | ||
| February 12 | at Jacksonville | 52-54 | Jacksonville, FL | ||
| February 16 | at Hawaii | 86-82 (OT) | Honolulu, HI | ||
| February 22 | Drexel | 77-60 | Birmingham Coliseum | ||
| February 27 | at #15 DePaul Blue Demons | 77-88 | Chicago, IL | ||
| *Rankings - Associated Press
NOTE: Games scheduled at Hawaii (2/17); at San Diego (2/20); at Air Force (2/22); and at home against Houston Baptist (2/24) were canceled due to questions about exceeding the allowable number of Non-Division I members by playing NCAA associate member UAB. The Drexel game was scheduled quickly to replace the lost home game. | |||||
Coaching Staff
| Name | Position | Seasons at UAB |
|---|---|---|
| Gene Bartow | Head coach | 1st |
| Lee Hunt | Associate coach | 1st |
| Larry Finch | Assistant coach | 1st |
| Jim Nelson | Part-time Assistant coach | 1st |
Players/Stats
| # | Player | Games | Field Goals | FG% | Free Throws | FT% | Rebounds | Points | Pts/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Larry Spicer | 26 | 165-342 | .482 | 57-84 | .679 | 212 | 389 | 15.0 |
| 22 | Greg Leet | 26 | 147-290 | .507 | 60-77 | .779 | 68 | 354 | 13.6 |
| 34 | Daryl Braden | 26 | 143-284 | .504 | 56-75 | .747 | 157 | 342 | 13.2 |
| 15 | George Jones | 26 | 110-220 | .500 | 81-95 | .853 | 57 | 301 | 11.6 |
| 20 | Oliver Robinson | 26 | 73-147 | .497 | 34-56 | .607 | 92 | 180 | 6.9 |
| 24 | Raymond Gause | 19 | 42-101 | .416 | 18-28 | .643 | 36 | 102 | 5.4 |
| 33 | Leon Morris | 23 | 39-89 | .438 | 29-43 | .674 | 101 | 107 | 4.7 |
| 44 | Stan Scales | 24 | 29-63 | .460 | 12-26 | .462 | 77 | 70 | 2.9 |
| 52 | Donnie Speer | 18 | 18-37 | .486 | 9-14 | .643 | 38 | 45 | 2.5 |
| 21 | Scott Simcik | 6 | 6-8 | .750 | 1-3 | .333 | 0 | 13 | 2.2 |
| 25 | Derrick Bentley | 13 | 8-21 | .381 | 10-19 | .526 | 17 | 26 | 2.0 |
| 54 | Doug Owens | 3 | 2-3 | .667 | 0-0 | .000 | 3 | 4 | 1.3 |
| 32 | Tim Almquist | 5 | 2-3 | .667 | 2-2 | 1.000 | 1 | 6 | 1.2 |
| 12 | Bill McCammon | 10 | 3-14 | .214 | 4-8 | .500 | 7 | 10 | 1.0 |
| Team | Totals | 26 | 800-1645 | .486 | 374-530 | .706 | 1025 | 1974 | 75.9 |
External links
| Preceded by: (first season) |
UAB Men’s Basketball Teams 1978–1979 |
Succeeded by: 1979-1980 |