The Gulf South Conference has announced the GSC All Academic Team and we have placed seven student athletes on the Honor Roll!
Congratulations to:
Andrew Donovan
Caleb Duke
Garrett Cosgrove
Spencer Palmer
Michael Gilmore
Greg Gardner
Troy Saxton
Our Camp dates have been released along with our New Camp Website with our newest feature, online registration!
Visit www.uahbasketballcamps.com to sign up now, because they will fill up quickly!
| 2014 Day Camps | |
| High School Elite Camp | June 1 |
| Middle School Skills Camp | June 9-11 |
| Day Camp 1 | June 16-19 |
| Day Camp 2 | July 28-31 |
| 2014 Team Camps | ||
| Middle School Team Camp | May 28-30 | |
| High School Team Camp | June 5-6 | |
| High School Play Date | June 20 | |
The Gulf South Conference announced its 2013-14 All-GSC Men’s Basketball Teams on Wednesday leading up to the GSC Tournament, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville was represented by Wayne Dedrick on the Second Team.
The sophomore guard garners the honor after finishing the regular season seventh in the GSC in scoring at 16.9 points per game while averaging the third most 3-pointers per game at 2.5, and he also owned the fifth best free throw percentage in the conference at 81.9 percent.
Dedrick led the team in scoring in 11 games this season, including a 36-point outburst on the road against rival North Alabama where he shot 15-for-21 from the field to lead the Chargers to an 89-96 victory.
A season after being awarded GSC’s Freshman of the Year and being named to the Division II Bulletin Freshman All-American team, Dedrick increased his scoring by four points a game and made at least five 3-pointers on five different occasions.
WILLIAMSTOWN — College basketball assistant coaches frequently played for their head coaches or worked with them at earlier jobs.
Williams College men’s basketball coach Mike Maker freely admits that he didn’t know Derek Johnston or Scott Day personally before he hired them to be his assistants for the 2012-13 season. They were not, however, unknown quantities.
“It’s always about a family tree and it’s all about connections and people that you trust,” Maker said.
While the Williams coach did not know either of his current assistants, both came to Williams with glowing recommendations from college coaches they played for — college coaches that Maker knows well.
Maker and his staff begin NCAA Division III tournament play tonight at Chandler Gym against Mitchell College.
Johnston, 27, came to Williams after graduating from the University of Alabama-Huntsville and then spending two years as the head boys basketball coach at Lexington (Ala.) High School. Day, 25, graduated from Ouachita Baptist, a college about 65 miles away from Little Rock, Ark. Day arrived at Williams after spending a year as an assistant at ThunderRidge High School in the Denver suburbs.
For Johnston, getting in touch with Maker at Williams was less about coming north and more about networking.
“I was a head high school coach in the state of Alabama right out of college and was just trying, honestly, to expand my network a little,” Johnston said. “I think you’re only as good as the people you know and can learn from.”
Maker said he’s a good friend with Lennie Acuff, the coach at Alabama-Huntsville, and contacted Acuff about Johnston.
“I called Lennie and asked ‘Listen, I got this letter from Derek Johnston and you never talked to me about him. He said ‘Mike, I’m just going to tell you one thing about Derek — he’s the best human being I’ve ever met,’ ” Maker said. “I said I’m calling him to offer him the job.”
Maker also knows Day’s college coach, Mark Price, well. Price is now an assistant at Division I Belmont University and told the Eph head coach that Day played in the West Virginia-Princeton style offense that Williams uses, and said many of the same things Acuff said about Johnston.
“Derek and Scott have not only helped us maintain what we’ve had going here, but have certainly helped us grow and become better,” Maker said.
While Maker has put his stamp on a Williams program that is in its fourth NCAA Division III tournament field in his six years at the helm, both of his assistants have multiple responsibilities.
“People talk about what’s the right way to break into college coaching. A lot of people say you have to start at Division I,” Day said. “You should take a small college job because you get to do more.
“Coach Maker is a great mentor. He lets us handle a lot.”
Day is the head coach of the Williams junior varsity, and both he and Johnston do a lot of the day-to-day work in the program.
“It’s really all hands on deck,” Johnston said, “especially with everything we try to do with our program.”
For Maker, giving them a lot of responsibilities serves multiple purposes. They’ll do advance scouting, on-court coaching and administrative work.
“I allow them to have a lot of different experiences, to take things off my plate, because I trust them,” said Maker, “and also to give them the experience they need when they move on.”
Both assistants had never been to the Northeast and had never been involved in Division III athletics. Having grown up in Colorado, the adjustment wasn’t quite as difficult for Day. But now, both are fully used to their jobs and being in New England.
“It’s a blast,” said Day, “waking up and going to coach basketball. It’s what I want to do. Ever since college, I felt I wanted to coach college basketball.
“To be able to do that at Williams College, I feel blessed, fortunate and especially lucky how everything has worked out to be able to work for Coach Maker and our guys.”
Johnston said that the adjustment of moving from Alabama with his wife Andee, a nurse, was tempered by the fact that he didn’t have to teach six math classes a day.
And like Day, Johnston said he would like to be a college head coach some day. The division, however, isn’t the most important factor.
“[Marquette coach] Buzz Williams came down one summer. He said the right place is where it’s important,” said Johnston. “I think that’s the one thing I remember the most I want to be where it’s important — where it matters.” (Courtesy of the Berkshire Eagle)
Conner Blasi scored 22 in his penultimate game at Spragins Hall, leading the University of Alabama in Huntsville men’s basketball team to a 77-69, come-from-behind victory over Union on Thursday night in Gulf South Conference action. The Chargers improve to 15-11 (11-8 Gulf South Conference), while Union slips to 11-14 (7-12 GSC). Blasi was joined by three other Chargers who scored in double figures with Greg Gardner going 10-of-12 from the charity stripe en route to scoring 19, while Wayne Dedrick added 12 and Andrew Donovan chipped in with 10. UAH found itself trailing 60-55 with just under seven minutes to play in the game, but a pair of free throws from both Blasi and Gardner made it a one-point game before Gardner made a layup fall at 3:53 to put the Chargers up at 61-60. Continuing what ended up being a 15-2 run, Ronnie Mack hit back-to-back 3-pointers, Gardner added another free throw, and Blasi then brought down the house with a thunderous dunk that put the Chargers up 70-62 with 2:08 left in the contest. The Chargers would then hit seven free throws down the stretch to not allow Union to pull any closer than seven while expanding the lead to as many as 10 in the waning moments. The visitors enjoyed the lead for much of the contest prior to the big second half surge for UAH, using a 51.9 percent shooting performance in the first half – including an 8-of-14 showing from beyond the arc – to build up a 39-34 advantage at the half.
Union then cooled down considerably in the second stanza, connected on just 26.7 percent from 3-point land while shooting 30.6 percent overall to finish the night shooting just under 40 percent while the Chargers ended the evening hitting 42.9 percent of their attempts. Also holding a slim advantage on the glass was UAH as Blasi and Dedrick both grabbed seven boards to help UAH lead 37-36. Both teams protected the ball on the night as the Chargers committed just two first half turnovers before finishing the night with eight, while Union turned it over seven times overall.
The Chargers will now turn their attention to rival North Alabama who visits Saturday evening. Tip-off at Spragins Hall is set for 7 p.m.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville men’s basketball team hung on for an important road win on Saturday night, defeating host Lee 59-52 in the team’s final road Gulf South Conference contest of the season. The Chargers improve to 14-11 (10-8 GSC), while Lee slips to 9-14 (5-12 GSC). Four players scored in double figures for the Chargers with Ronnie Mack leading the way with 13 points, while senior Andrew Donovan hit three big shots from beyond the arc en route to scoring 11. Both Conner Blasi and Greg Gardner chipped in with 10, and it was that pair that was especially key in the game’s waning moments. With the Chargers up by just four and the clock rolling under 45 seconds to play, Blasi found himself surrounded by four Lee players after a missed UAH shot, and the 6-9 senior beat them all to grab a key offensive rebound before subsequently being fouled. After making the UAH lead 57-51 by sinking both free throws, Blasi then swatted away Cory Billingsley’s attempt at the other end, and after Billingsley collected the offensive board, he missed another attempt that was gathered up by Gardner who was fouled and made both at the charity stripe to put the contest out of reach. Both finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the foul line, and Gardner dished out five assists for the game while Blasi grabbed a team-best five rebounds. The contest was not always a tight one as UAH led 32-19 at the half, and the guests pushed the lead out to 20 at 39-19 with a 7-0 run to start the second half, but Lee would outscore UAH by a 33-20 margin the rest of the way to create the interesting ending. After shooting 45.5 percent in the first half, UAH ended the contest shooting 39.6 percent, but the team’s terrific defensive effort held Lee to a field goal percentage of 29.8 percent for the game. The hosts – who were coming off of a 71-69 upset of second-place West Alabama – did handily outrebound UAH, grabbing 42 rebounds compared to 27 for the Chargers. Bryce Copeland led the Flames with 14 points, while Chad Lee scored eight and registered 10 rebounds. The Chargers will now return home for the final week of the regular season, hosting Union at 7:30 Thursday night before welcoming rival North Alabama at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville men’s basketball team dropped a conference game at West Alabama on Tuesday night, falling 63-53 at Pruitt Hall. The Chargers slip to 13-11 (9-8 Gulf South Conference), while UWA improves to 15-8 (12-5 GSC). On the strength of a 6-for-10 performance from the field, Seab Webster lead UAH with 17 points as he connected on three 3-pointers, and Wayne Dedrick joined him in double figures with 15 points. The difference in the game came at the charity stripe where UAH went 8-for-14 compared to a 17-for-22 night for the hosts. The Chargers shot 40.4 percent for the night from the field while playing strong defense that limited West Alabama to a shooting percentage of 32.8 percent. Desmond Raymond led the Tigers with 19 points while Lleon Tillman notched a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds to help UWA outrebound the Chargers by a 39-34 margin. UAH held the first lead of the contest, leading 10-7 at the 13:55 mark of the opening half before UWA went on a 10-0 run over nearly five minutes that allowed the hosts to take a 17-10 lead with just over nine minutes remaining until the half, and West Alabama would lead at the break by a 23-20 margin after UAH scored seven of the final eight points of the period.The advantage for UWA would grow to as many as 11 in the second half, and the visitors would be able to pull no closer than four down the stretch.
Concluding the three-game road swing, UAH will return to action on Saturday at Lee. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. CST. (Courtesy of UAHChargers.com)
Conner Blasi recorded a triple-double, Wayne Dedrick buried seven 3-pointers, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville men’s basketball team blew past visiting Shorter 108-70 on Thursday evening at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall. UAH improves to 13-9 (9-6 Gulf South Conference), while Shorter falls to 8-13 (5-10 GSC). Blasi finished the contest with 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as he became just the ninth player in Division II to perform the triple-double feat. The Fort Wayne, Ind., native was terrific from the floor, shooting 8-of-11 on the night, and he also blocked a pair of shots for good measure while not turning the ball over. The triple-double is the first for a UAH player since former Charger Josh Magette recorded one on Feb. 25, 2012.
Helping the team to an outrageous 22-of-35 showing from downtown, Dedrick hit the career-best seven triples en route to scoring a game-best 25 points, and he had 16 of his points by the halftime break.
The pair of terrific performances helped the Chargers lead for the entire night, with the team building up a 53-32 advantage at the half before securing the 38-point margin of victory at the conclusion of the contest. Three other Chargers scored in double figures with Taylor Chapman going 5-of-5 from the floor to score 12 points to continue his recent torrid play off the bench, and bothSeab Webster and Spencer Palmer scored 10.
Each of the 12 players on UAH’s roster scored in the contest – and nine of them recorded a successful shot from beyond the arc – en route to UAH shooting 64.5 percent from the floor compared to a 40.3 percent mark for the visiting Hawks. With Blasi’s 10 leading the way and freshman Troy Saxton establishing a season-high five, the Chargers also won the night’s battle on the glass, grabbing 36 rebounds compared to Shorter’s 27.
Winning for the sixth time in its past eight games, the University of Alabama in Huntsville men’s basketball team defeated visiting Valdosta State 73-62 on Saturday evening at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall. The win improves the Chargers to 12-9 (8-6 Gulf South Conference), while VSU slips to 12-7 (6-7 GSC). The win marked the 10th of the year at home for UAH where the team is 10-2 on the season. A trio of Chargers scored in double figures on the night with Seab Webster leading the way with 17 to go along with a team-best seven rebounds. The Madison County High School product has led the team in scoring in the past two games, and he is second on the squad with an average of 14.0 points per game in the team’s last five contests.
Joining him in double figures on this night were Ronnie Mack and Conner Blasi who both scored 14. Greg Gardner chipped in with nine while also adding four assists and five rebounds, and strong off the bench for a second straight game, Taylor Chapman scored eight key points.
The Chargers – who shot 52.1 percent for the game while limiting the Blazers to a shooting mark of 30.9 percent – fell behind by as many as nine points in the first half, but a strong close to the period made the contest a tight affair at the half. Trailing 34-25 at the 5:01 mark, UAH held Valdosta State scoreless through the end of the stanza and scored seven to make it 34-32 when the teams went into the locker room at the conclusion of the first 20 minutes.
A 12-3 run out of the break – including a Blasi layup that put the Chargers in front – produced a 44-37 advantage for the hosts, and though VSU would narrow the gap to just three at 60-57 at the 3:29 mark, UAH would connect on nine free throws down the stretch en route to outscoring the visitors 13-5 in the final three minutes to pick up the victory.
Valdosta State was led on the day by Jalen Crawford who scored 12, while Colin Cook grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Blazers hold a 42-32 edge in rebounding.
Freshman Seab Webster scored a season-best 23 points on Thursday night, helping the University of Alabama in Huntsville men’s basketball team defeat visiting West Florida by an 81-71 score at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall. The Chargers improve to 11-9 (7-6 GSC) with the victory, while UWF slips to 3-14 (2-9 GSC).
Webster scored 12 of his points in the first half, going 4-for-5 from the field to help UAH shoot 45.8 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, but the visiting Argos outperformed the Chargers by a 16-8 margin in second-chance points during the period to hold a 32-27 advantage at the halftime break.
The Chargers would erase the halftime deficit in short order in the second stanza as UAH opened the half on a 10-1 run – with half of the points coming from Spencer Palmer – to grab a 37-33 lead at the 17:43 mark, but West Florida responded and would go back on top by four at 50-46 with 11:35 remaining. Webster and the Chargers bench then took the game over, outscoring West Florida 17-3 over the next 4:42.
The run was started by a Webster old-fashioned 3-point play, and it was a thunderous dunk by the Gurley, Ala., native that put UAH back in front at 53-52 during the spurt.Taylor Chapman had two key layups during the stretch, and the run also featured timely 3-pointers from both Troy Saxton and Garrett Cosgrove as the hosts grabbed a 63-53 lead with just over seven minutes left in the game. UAH’s advantage would grow to as much as 17 points down the stretch as the Chargers snapped their two-game slide with the victory. Webster was joined in double figures on the night by Ronnie Mack who scored 14 and Conner Blasi who added 10 while matching Webster with a team-best six rebounds.
The squad moved the ball well in the game, particularly in the second half when it committed just five turnovers, and Chapman led UAH in the game with seven of the team’s 23 assists. For the contest, UAH shot 54.5 percent and connected on 10 3-pointers, while West Florida shot 44.4 percent. The Chargers also won the battle on the glass in the contest, grabbing 34 rebounds while allowing UWF to snag 30.
UAH will now continue its homestand on Saturday when Valdosta State visits. The contest is slated for a 5 p.m. start inside Spragins Hall.
In a defensive struggle on Saturday evening, the University of Alabama in Huntsville men’s basketball team fell 59-51 in Gulf South Conference action to No. 15 Delta State. The Chargers slip to 10-9 (6-6 GSC), while DSU improves to 17-2 (10-1 GSC). Neither team was particularly productive in the first half as Delta State shot 39.1 percent while UAH connected on just 25.0 percent of its attempts as the Statesmen took a 22-17 lead into the locker room at the break.
The second half was one of runs as the Chargers went on a 13-3 run to start the second half, grabbing a 30-25 lead after Greg Gardner hit a triple for three of his 13 points, but Delta State would respond with a 22-7 stretch of its own to go ahead 47-37 at the 5:38 mark. The Chargers would whittle the deficit down to 55-51 with just under 50 seconds left in the game, but DSU was able to knock down four free throws while holding UAH scoreless to capture the 59-51 victory.
Seab Webster joined Gardner in double figures for the Chargers, and the freshman from Gurley, Ala., also grabbed 10 rebounds to record his first-ever double-double. Delta State featured three players in double figures, led by Willie Readus who scored 16 while grabbing 15 rebounds to help Delta State own a 46-34 edge on the glass. The Statesmen also held the advantage shooting on the evening, hitting 36.0 percent of its attempts compared to 28.8 percent for the Chargers. UAH will now look forward to returning home for the first time in more than two weeks when the Chargers welcome West Florida on Thursday. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
