UAB to name Andy Kennedy as next head coach

Former Ole Miss head coach and UAB Blazer star Andy Kennedy has agreed to become the next head coach of UAB. He will be the seventh in the program’s D-I history.

After 12 seasons and two NCAA Tournaments at Ole Miss, Kennedy resigned in February of 2018. He spent the last two seasons as a broadcaster for the SEC Network.

An All-American in high school, Kennedy originally went to NC State. He lasted one season there, winning an ACC title. After that, he transferred to UAB, where he was one of their best players of all-time. Kennedy was a two-time all-conference player who led the Sun Belt in scoring with 21.8 PPG in 1991. He finished his time at UAB as the second all-time leading scorer with 1,787 points. He also holds the records for most three-pointers in school history and best free-throw percentage.

UAB finished then 2019-20 season with a record of 19-13 (9-9), good for seventh place in the Conference USA. The Blazers had some signature wins including against Western Kentucky at home and Duquesne on a neutral court, handing the Dukes their first loss.

As of now, the Blazers are expected to return all three of their double-digit scorers from 2019-20.

Kennedy’s name, time coaching down south, and history with the school should draw some solid players into Birmingham. The Blazers haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2015 when they upset Iowa State.