2022–23 UAB Blazers men's basketball team

The 2022–23 UAB Blazers men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach Andy Kennedy, and played their home games at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama as a member of Conference USA.

2022–23 UAB Blazers men's basketball
Sunshine Slam champions
NIT, Runner-Up
Conference	Conference USA
Record	29–10 (14–6 CUSA)
Head coach	Andy Kennedy (3rd season)
Assistant coaches	Ryan Cross Philip Pearson Terry Parker
Home arena	Bartow Arena

2022–23 Conference USA men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 25 Florida Atlantic †	18	–	2		.900			35	–	4		.897
North Texas	16	–	4		.800			31	–	7		.816
UAB	14	–	6		.700			29	–	10		.744
Middle Tennessee	11	–	9		.550			19	–	14		.576
Charlotte	9	–	11		.450			22	–	14		.611
Rice	8	–	12		.400			19	–	16		.543
FIU	8	–	12		.400			14	–	18		.438
Western Kentucky	8	–	12		.400			17	–	16		.515
UTEP	7	–	13		.350			14	–	18		.438
Louisiana Tech	7	–	13		.350			15	–	18		.455
UTSA	4	–	16		.200			10	–	22		.313
† 2023 C-USA tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The season marked the team's last season as members of Conference USA before joining the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2023.

Previous season

The Blazers finished the 2021–22 season 27–8, 14–4 in C-USA play to finish second in the West Division. As the No. 2 seed out of the West Division, they defeated Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, and Louisiana Tech to win the C-USA tournament. They received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed in the South Region, where they lost in the first round to Houston.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Tyreke Locure	0	G	6'0"	165	Junior	New Orleans, LA	Transferred to Louisiana–Monroe
Michael Ertel	2	G	6'2"	190	GS Senior	Indianapolis, IN	Graduated
Justin Brown	4	G	6'6"	208	GS Senior	Atlanta, GA	Graduated
Jamal Johnson	11	G	6'4"	195	RS Senior	Birmingham, AL	Transferred to Chattanooga
Quan Jackson	13	G	6'4"	190	GS Senior	Tallahassee, FL	Graduated
AD Diedhiou	22	F	6'10"	240	Junior	Dakar, Senegal	Transferred to Louisiana–Monroe
Josh LeBlanc Sr.	23	F	6'7"	230	Senior	Baton Rouge, LA	Transferred to Nicholls
Elijah Tate	24	G	6'3"	185	Sophomore	Baton Rouge, LA	Transferred to South Plains College

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Javian Davis	0	F	6'9"	240	RS Junior	Canton, MS	Mississippi State
Ledarrius Brewer	2	G	6'5"	190	RS Senior	Meridian, MS	East Tennessee State
Eric Gaines	4	G	6'2"	150	Sophomore	Lithonia, GA	LSU
Ty Brewer	15	F	6'9"	205	Senior	Meridian, MS	East Tennessee State
Tyler Bertram	23	G	6'3"	185	RS Junior	Cooperstown, NY	Binghamton

Recruiting classes

2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Efrem Johnson SG	Huntsville, AL	Grissom High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Apr 18, 2022
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2023 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
K.J. Satterfield SG	Columbus, OH	Whitehall Yearling High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Mar 17, 2022
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2022–23 UAB Blazers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Javian Davis 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 265 lb (120 kg) RS Jr Mississippi State Canton, Mississippi G 2 Ledarrius Brewer 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr East Tennessee State Meridian, Mississippi G 3 Tavin Lovan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Franklin-Simpson High School Franklin, Kentucky G 4 Eric Gaines 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So LSU Lithonia, GA F 5 KJ Buffen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Ole Miss Gainesville, Georgia G 10 Jordan Walker 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Sr Tulane Port Washington, New York G 12 Tony Toney 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Mae Jeminson High School Huntsville, Alabama F 15 Ty Brewer 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr East Tennessee State Meridian, Mississippi G 21 Jon Coleman (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Hall High School Little Rock, Arkansas F 22 Seth Sigmon (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Huntsville High School Houston, Texas G 23 Tyler Bertram 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Jr Binghamton Cooperstown, New York G 24 Efrem Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Grissom High School Huntsville, Alabama F 25 Rongie Gordon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Jefferson Davis High School Montgomery, Alabama G 30 Ryan Donohoo (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Briarwood Christian School Birmingham, Alabama C 55 Trey Jemison 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Sr Clemson Birmingham, Alabama	Head coach Andy Kennedy (UAB) Assistant coach(es) Ryan Cross (Buffalo) Philip Pearson (Alabama) Terry Parker (Louisiana Tech) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2022* 6:30 p.m.		Mississippi College	W 98–47		14 – Tied	12 – Jemison	5 – Toney	Bartow Arena (2,097) Birmingham, AL
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2022* 6:30 p.m., CUSA.tv		Alabama State	W 111–70	1–0	38 – Walker	10 – Buffen	4 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (3,991) Birmingham, AL
November 11, 2022* 4:00 p.m., Barstool TV		vs. Toledo Barstool Sports Invitational	L 85–93	1–1	25 – Walker	10 – Buffen	6 – Gaines	Wells Fargo Center  Philadelphia, PA
November 16, 2022* 6:30 p.m., CUSA.tv		Presbyterian Sunshine Slam campus site game	W 92–61	2–1	16 – Gaines	9 – Jemison	10 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (3,396) Birmingham, AL
November 21, 2022* 5:00 p.m., CBSSN		vs. South Florida Sunshine Slam Semifinals	W 80–65	3–1	15 – Walker	8 – Davis	5 – Walker	Ocean Center  Daytona Beach, FL
November 22, 2022* 3:00 p.m., CBSSN		vs. Georgia Sunshine Slam Championship	W 87–73	4–1	30 – Walker	9 – Jemison	8 – Gaines	Ocean Center  Daytona Beach, FL
November 26, 2022* 12:00 p.m., CUSA.tv		Rhodes	W 110–53	5–1	17 – Tied	6 – Brewer	5 – Toney	Bartow Arena (3,290) Birmingham, AL
November 30, 2022* 6:30 p.m., CUSA.tv		Jacksonville	W 80–61	6–1	26 – Walker	13 – Jemison	6 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (3,303) Birmingham, AL
December 4, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPNU		South Alabama	W 76–68	7–1	30 – Walker	10 – Buffen	8 – Walker	Bartow Arena (3,833) Birmingham, AL
December 10, 2022* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+		at West Virginia	L 70–81	7–2	19 – Tied	9 – Davis	7 – Walker	WVU Coliseum (12,182) Morgantown, WV
December 14, 2022* 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		South Carolina	W 84–70	8–2	25 – Buffen	8 – Buffen	7 – Walker	Bartow Arena (5,126) Birmingham, AL
December 18, 2022* 3:30 p.m., CBSSN		Southern	W 92–66	9–2	25 – Walker	14 – Jemison	6 – Walker	Bartow Arena (3,631) Birmingham, AL
Conference USA regular season
December 22, 2022 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		Charlotte	W 76–68	10–2 (1–0)	25 – Walker	12 – Jemison	5 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (3,323) Birmingham, AL
December 29, 2022 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		UTEP	W 79–73 2OT	11–2 (2–0)	25 – Walker	10 – Jemison	4 – Walker	Bartow Arena (3,747) Birmingham, AL
December 31, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN+		UTSA	W 90–67	12–2 (3–0)	31 – Walker	9 – Buffen	7 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (3,326) Birmingham, AL
January 5, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Florida Atlantic	L 86–88	12–3 (3–1)	21 – Walker	7 – Tied	5 – Gaines	Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (2,561) Boca Raton, FL
January 7, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at FIU	L 87–90 OT	12–4 (3–2)	19 – Gaines	12 – Jemison	7 – Gaines	Ocean Bank Convocation Center (1,152) Miami, FL
January 11, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		Western Kentucky	L 78–80	12–5 (3–3)	28 – Walker	14 – Jemison	5 – Buffen	Bartow Arena (4,353) Birmingham, AL
January 14, 2023 3:00 p.m., Stadium		at Louisiana Tech	W 81–74	13–5 (4–3)	22 – Gaines	9 – Jemison	6 – Gaines	Thomas Assembly Center (3,490) Ruston, LA
January 16, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Middle Tennessee	L 73–74 OT	13–6 (4–4)	18 – Jemison	11 – Jemison	3 – Toney	Murphy Center (3,224) Murfreesboro, TN
January 21, 2023 3:00 p.m., Stadium		North Texas	L 52–63	13–7 (4–5)	15 – Gaines	11 – Jemison	4 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (5,109) Birmingham, AL
January 26, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		Louisiana Tech	W 65–59	14–7 (5–5)	19 – Gaines	13 – Buffen	6 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (4,015) Birmingham, AL
January 28, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Rice	W 70–52	15–7 (6–5)	20 – Tied	12 – Jemison	5 – Gaines	Tudor Fieldhouse (2,454) Houston, TX
February 2, 2023 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		No. 19 Florida Atlantic	W 86–77	16–7 (7–5)	21 – Gaines	9 – Buffin	6 – Walker	Bartow Arena (5,028) Birmingham, AL
February 4, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN+		FIU	W 76–72	17–7 (8–5)	12 – Tied	11 – Jemison	8 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (5,318) Birmingham, AL
February 9, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at North Texas	L 79–82 2OT	17–8 (8–6)	20 – Walker	7 – Buffen	4 – Walker	The Super Pit (3,873) Denton, TX
February 11, 2023 3:00 p.m., Stadium		Middle Tennessee	W 92–69	18–8 (9–6)	25 – Walker	12 – Brewer	10 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (4,957) Birmingham, AL
February 16, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN+		at UTEP	W 79–66	19–8 (10–6)	22 – Walker	8 – Tied	6 – Gaines	Don Haskins Center (3,619) El Paso, TX
February 18, 2023 3:00 p.m., Stadium		at UTSA	W 83–78	20–8 (11–6)	25 – Walker	9 – Jemison	4 – Tied	Convocation Center (1,220) San Antonio, TX
February 23, 2023 6:30 p.m., ESPN+		Rice	W 85–57	21–8 (12–6)	32 – Walker	13 – Jemison	8 – Walker	Bartow Arena (4,891) Birmingham, AL
February 25, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		at Western Kentucky	W 72–60	22–8 (13–6)	17 – Gaines	10 – Jemison	4 – Lovan	E. A. Diddle Arena (5,623) Bowling Green, KY
March 4, 2023 12:00 p.m., Stadium		at Charlotte	W 93–91 2OT	23–8 (14–6)	41 – Walker	8 – Tied	6 – Walker	Dale F. Halton Arena (2,534) Charlotte, NC
Conference USA tournament
March 9, 2023 8:30 p.m., ESPN+	(3)	vs. (6) Rice Quarterfinals	W 87–60	24–8	27 – Walker	10 – Jemison	6 – Gaines	Ford Center at The Star (2,765) Frisco, TX
March 10, 2023 2:00 p.m., CBSSN	(3)	vs. (2) North Texas Semifinals	W 76–69	25–8	32 – Walker	7 – Buffen	6 – Walker	Ford Center at The Star (2,005) Frisco, TX
March 11, 2023 7:30 p.m., CBSSN	(3)	vs. (1) Florida Atlantic Championship	L 56–78	25–9	18 – Walker	8 – Jemison	2 – Gaines	Ford Center at The Star (1,681) Frisco, TX
NIT
March 14, 2023* 6:30 pm, ESPN+	(4)	Southern Miss First Round – Clemson Bracket	W 88–60	26–9	26 – Buffen	12 – Buffen	6 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (2,237) Birmingham, AL
March 19, 2023* 2:00 pm, ESPN+	(4)	Morehead State Second Round – Clemson Bracket	W 77–59	27–9	25 – Brewer	16 – Jemison	7 – Gaines	Bartow Arena (2,624) Birmingham, AL
March 22, 2023* 6:00 pm, ESPN2	(4)	at (2) Vanderbilt Quarterfinals – Clemson Bracket	W 67–59	28–9	21 – Walker	12 – Jemison	7 – Walker	Memorial Gymnasium (10,258) Nashville, TN
March 28, 2023* 8:30 pm, ESPN2	(4)	vs. Utah Valley Semifinals	W 88–86 OT	29–9	30 – Brewer	12 – Brewer	6 – Walker	Orleans Arena (2,931) Paradise, NV
March 30, 2023* 8:30 pm, ESPN2	(4)	vs. (2) North Texas Championship	L 61–68	29–10	21 – Walker	7 – Tied	6 – Walker	Orleans Arena  Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central.

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