Chance Westry Peaking at the Perfect Time for UAB
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - March 9, 2026
Chance Westry put an all-conference type ending to what is his first full regular season in college basketball. Combine the final two games for the 6-foot-6 guard from UAB and you get 42 points, 12 rebounds, 22 assists to 3 turnovers, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots over 73 minutes in a pair of wins.
Those numbers put an exclamation point on Westry’s first opportunity to play a college season injury free.
“I’ve said this numerous times, I'm going to say it again in case somebody hasn't heard it,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said after Sunday’s regular season closing win over East Carolina. “I would dare to say that I know as much about the history of UAB basketball as, I'm not saying I'm (No.) 1, but I'm in the top five. I think he's probably, not probably, I think he's definitely the best facilitator at 6-6 in the history of this program. He is really, really gifted in that regard.”
Westry finished the regular season averaging 5.2 assists per game, which would put him in a three-way tie for 9th for a single season at UAB. He averaged an American Conference best 6.1 assists in conference games and had a season-high 11 assists three times overall.
With all that said, though, Kennedy took a moment for a coach’s critique, while also comparing him to Yaxel Lendeborg, during Sunday’s postgame press conference.
“I tell him all the time, and I'm not busting balls, so I'll tell you, I think he's terrible in every other aspect,” Kennedy said. “He's asleep off the ball. He doesn't rebound to his size. He's a bad shooter. He looks like he's about to have a stroke every time he runs up and down the floor two or three times. But he is the most gifted that I've ever coached. He’s got a little Yax quality to it where he kind of gets in there and you're thinking, ‘Where's he going? What's he doing?’ and it ends up being a good play. I tell our bigs all the time, they're so fortunate. Danny (Rivera) tonight, 9- for-10, I dare to say most of those are right at the basket off penetration from Chance Westry. So give it to Chance.”
Westry is a natural combo guard, who became the Blazers primary point guard midway through the season. It took him some time to adjust to that role.
“Being at the point guard, obviously, I got moved there at the middle of the season,” Westry said. “So just playing at my own pace now, not letting nobody speed me up, and just having that confidence.”
Part of the confidence comes from finally having a healthy season. The Harrisburg, Pa. native, who played in Pennsylvania, California and Arizona in high school, never played more than 11 games in one season at Auburn and two at Syracuse. This season, not only did he play in 31 games but he also led the team with 948 minutes played.
“It feels good,” Westry said. “I’m looking at my minutes, playing 34 minutes (on Sunday). Last year I was playing zero. I didn’t even play. So just adjusting to that, the pace, pacing myself as well, and just staying ready and being confidence in myself.”
Now it’s on to the postseason, where No. 4 seed UAB opens up play in the American Conference Tournament with a quarterfinal game on Friday at noon against Tulane, Memphis or Charlotte. It will be the first time that Westry has played in a postseason game. He was asked on Sunday if he thought about looking ahead to be three games away from being in the NCAA Tournament.
“Nah, my father told me to think one game at a time,” Westry said. “I mean, obviously, the tournament’s coming. I’m more excited than anything because I’m healthy and I’m playing. I’m just trying to take it one game at a time.”