St. John’s basketball: Johnnies decide on Mike Anderson as next coach

I lived in Birmingham when Anderson took over the Blazers program from Murray Bartow. I was new to town with young children and was looking for some fun inexpensive things to do. We started attending UAB football (Roddy White era) and basketball games. In almost no time, and I mean no time, Anderson turned a loser into a 21 win team in his first season.

The Blazers played tight defense, which was their hallmark. Like his coaching mentor, Nolan Richardson, Anderson believed in playing the “40 minutes of Hell” defense. Opponents knew that easy trips up the court, as well as gimme baskets, would be few and far between. Their point guard Carldell Johnson earned the nickname “Squeaky” for his squeaky clean steals.

Offensively, UAB pushed the ball up the court fast. Their passing was crisp, and out of nowhere someone would be open for a shot. Anderson taught the Blazers how to move without the ball and it was fun to watch. UAB started making appearances on the ESPN networks because they were that good.

The program was 44-45, and 24-27 in Conference USA play, over the three years before Anderson took over. In his four seasons with UAB from 2002-2006, the team was 89-41, and 42-20 respectively. The won over 20 games each year and went to the Big Dance three times.