UAB’s ANDY KENNEDY LOOKS AHEAD TO 2024-2025 SEASON

MARCH 29, 2024 - BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

By Steve Irvine

Reflection and relaxation are not part of the formula for college basketball coaches at the conclusion of the season, particularly when their team had success in March.

We’ll let Andy Kennedy walk us through – or perhaps run us through - his recent schedule.

“As a whole, we’re a week away from it, you really don’t have any time to catch your breath,” said Kennedy, whose team won the American Athletic Conference Tournament and lost to San Diego State in a NCAA Tournament first round game in Spokane. “From the moment we lost to San Diego State to flying home to player meetings to staff evaluation to program evaluation to immediately getting in this portal and seeing what makes sense for you, what makes sense for the young men. When I look back on this year, I’m really proud of what these kids accomplished and I’m proud of the way in which they responded and I’m excited about the future.”

While the season concluded with a loss, Kennedy and his program had several wins this week.  In the past few days, four of the team’s starters down the stretch – Yaxel Lendeborg, Christian Coleman, Efrem “Butta” Johnson and Alejandro Vasquez – announced they will remain at UAB instead of entering the transfer portal. Lump their contributions together and that’s 43.8 points and 20.8 rebounds per game.

That’s a good place to start when securing a roster for the 2024-25 season.

“With that core, I think there is a real chance to have a tremendous season,” Kennedy said.

Will the core grow larger in the next few days? It certainly could.

As of now, the Blazers are slated to lose Javian Davis, who finished his eligibility, and transfer portal entries Barry Dunning Jr. and Daniel Ortiz. James White, who left the team in December, is also expected to enter the transfer portal. Will Shaver and Marquis Hargrove are expected to return while Eric Gaines, Tony Toney and true freshman redshirt KJ Satterfield have not indicated whether they will return. Time will tell how many choose to return.

“It’s a constant evolvement,” Kennedy said. “Some guys have already put themselves in the portal. After conversations, I’m for these guys. At the end of the day, I want them to have a great experience. I want them to be in a position where they reflect back at the old age I’m at and they’re not looking back with regret. We’re very, very honest and very candid with all of them about our vision, their motivation and how we can help. That’s ultimately the conversation. Those conversations are ongoing. Again, we feel very strongly about keeping the core of our team together.”

Gaines is the lone returning starter who has not made his decision clear. The only other rotation player who has not made an announcement is Toney, who has been with the program since Kennedy’s arrival. Kennedy said he is in the midst with conversations with both about their future.

No matter what, though, Kennedy and his staff have some critical spots to fill on the roster. South Plains (Texas) Junior College guard Jaborri McGhee, whose team lost in the NJCAA Tournament quarterfinals, is UAB’s lone signee.

“We’re recruiting hard,” Kennedy said. “We’re trying to get guys on campus. We’re involved with some really good players that will hopefully fill the bill.”

What roster needs are the coaches trying to fill?

“We need a little bit of everything,” Kennedy said. “We’ll add them at all positions. We’ll try to balance it, so the mix is right. This year, our perimeter shooting wasn’t as good as we needed to be. We need to add some rim protection. There is a lot of different things that we’re shooting for, as we get deeper into this. As it relates to the portal, right now it’s like speed dating. You’re talking to a lot of different people, you’re trying to find fit, you’re trying to find guys that have the ability, schematically, to do what you want to do as a team. Character is big and you want to bring in the right people.”

Before he fully moved forward, Kennedy took some time to talk about this year’s team, which persevered through some difficult times to make the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the past three seasons.

“At the end of the day, you want to try and maximize the potential of the group,” Kennedy said. “This group probably came as close as any that I’ve had of doing so. As I’ve said before, the growth of where we started to where we finished, culminating in capturing a conference championship, getting to the NCAA Tournament. I think this group came really close to maximizing who they were capable of being. It was rewarding, from my perspective, and what you want as a coach.”