Another Roster Reset FOR KENNEDY, UAB Basketball
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - April 8, 2026
There are busy times and there is what UAB men’s basketball coach Andy Kennedy is experiencing these days.
The checklist of things to do include almost completely rebuilding a roster, replacing two key components of his staff, including assistant head coach and chief recruiter Ryan Cross, and monitoring a transfer portal that officially opened yesterday and is already bursting at the seams. While all the official announcements are yet to be made, Kennedy said, as of now, the only player he expects back from last season is sophomore-to-be Salim London. The losses are expected to include Chance Westry, who was the team’s best player last season. Perhaps the only comforting news in all of this is Kennedy is now experienced at roster rebuilds after signing 12 new players a year ago.
As of today, the roster for next year appears to include London, junior college center Shah Shall of Shelton State and guard Jakobi Sharp of Gadsden City High.
On Wednesday, Kennedy took a few minutes away from Zoom calls with prospects and watching recruiting tape to talk with The Banner about what’s ahead.
On the retention of any players from last season: “We're gonna lose everybody again. Salim is (the only player) coming back, so we gotta go sign a whole new roster.”
On what he learned from the experience of signing a new roster last year: “The biggest thing I learned is not to panic. I want my staff to be patient and it's just difficult. People think they understand. They really don't. It's just difficult because you're just not getting a true (evaluation). You know, as a head coach, I'm not getting the evaluation that I would prefer to have. But it's just not me, it's every coach in every situation. We're all having to move so fast and collect as much data as possible. And I just want to make sure that the pieces fit. You say, okay, what does that look like? It really depends upon, you get one piece here, which means, okay, that's going to then point you in the direction to look for a certain type of player in another type position, if that makes sense. Just so all the pieces fit. Right now, portal just opened yesterday. There are thousands in there. They're pouring in every day. And we just got to work diligently and get gathering as much information as possible so that we can make educated decisions.”
On whether there is in person evaluations or Zoom calls and film: “Well, (calls and film are) the majority of it. We're still in the dead period, but that ends tomorrow, so we will be able to get back out on the road and see people face to face. You'll also have the opportunity to bring them back on campus.”
On whether there are events or combines you can attend to evaluate: “The junior college stuff, maybe high school stuff, but no portal stuff. Maybe you should create one, it's actually a good idea. You could have one in the Southeast. All right, everybody, come to Atlanta if you're available and we'll put these numbers on you and you go out and play in front of the coaches. That would actually be profitable. Now, the agents may have a problem with that.”
On whether they are looking for more portal players than junior college players: “You're looking for best available player as it relates to what you're trying to put together. Really, I think last year we had kind of a happy mix. We had six portal kids, four junior college kids and two high school kids. This year, as we're sitting here right now, you know, we've got one returner. We're working on some other things that I'm just not at liberty to speak on. We've got a junior college commitment. We've got a high school commitment. So we'll just build out from there. We'll be heavy in the portal. We'll be heavy in Juco. We're exploring D2 moreso than we have in the past. So just really any and all, the international space is one that we're exploring, just trying to find the right pieces for what we're trying to get accomplished.”
On getting Salim London back: “It's terrific. You know, the day and age of building programs, it's sad for me to even say this, but I'm afraid that that's over. It really is year in and year out trying to put together the best group that you can. There's no greater example than that than Michigan. I mean, think about it, they had five new transfer portal guys in their starting five, one of which we were certainly very familiar with. And they go from a program that two years ago won eight games to capturing a national championship. So, you know, we've just got to be really intentional. We've got to show some patience. There's so much information out there. Most of it is misinformation. So we just kind of kind of sift through the things that we can control and put together the best product possible.”
On selling Yaxel Lendeborg’s story to recruits: “Well, we certainly reference it because Yax is, if he was not the story of the NCA tournament this year, he was certainly one of the stories of the NCA tournament. So people are very familiar with who he is. That's something that gets referenced often. But, you know, all these kids have their own unique path and you've just got to kind of find what makes sense for everybody.”
On doing this without a replacement in place for Ryan Cross, who left to become the head coach at Louisiana-Monroe: “Anytime you have a coaching change, typically they're going to happen right at the end of the season. He’s a guy that's been with us for six years and kind of spearheaded (recruiting). I didn't even really have to tell him what I was looking for. He kind of knew. We just kind of worked through synergy that way from day one. And then Noah Dartmann, who was on our staff in a pivotal role from a behind the scenes aspect, is going with Coach Cross to ULM. We lose two bodies inside of our unit at a pretty critical time. Guys have just had to step up and do a little more. Thank goodness I've got guys that are capable of doing that. I'm in the process of filling that spot as we speak. But as you know, anytime you do that, there's a process that has to take place inside the institution.”
On whether he was surprised by any UAB player entering the transfer portal: “You know, we had candid conversations. As soon as the season is over, I usually give them a couple of days just to kind of exhale. When you lose, for us, we knew that when we lost in the conference tournament our season was over. It was a tight game and we didn't get it done. So let's give everybody a couple days just to kind of exhale, but then I try to have meetings. We sit down and we try to evaluate ‘Ok, what just transpired and what is the plan moving forward?’ We had those conversations. There were some guys that I wouldn't say I was surprised by their answers to some of the questions that we had posed, but it caught me a little bit (off guard). My interpretation of the experience was different than theirs, but everybody looks at things differently. No, I was not necessarily surprised. And going into it, ultimately, I've got to do what I feel is in the best interest of UAB basketball. Each and every individual has to do what they feel is in their best interest. I just try to give them as much information from our experiences and from our networks, so that they can make an educated decision. And then ultimately, they have to make those decisions.”
On the timetable for building the roster: “Typically you would, in the old days, even a year or so ago. You're trying to get your ducks in a row, so to speak. Where you have a roster so that when summer school starts and you have the first opportunity to begin summer workouts, you have the majority of your team intact, which would be early June. For us, you remember, we brought Daniel Rivera on board right before the fall term in August. So whatever that date is, and I don't have it off the top of my head, when we start fall term, the last day of which I can enroll a student athlete in order for him to be eligible for competition in the fall term, that would be (the date). I want to make sure we got our everything set by then.”
On whether he will play with a 12-man scholarship roster once again: “There is a chance that I'm not going to just sign (12 players). I won't go to 15. I will have 15 on our active roster, but not all of those will be full scholarship guys. You know, many people will do 15 and they're all rev share guys, they're all scholarship guys, because the NCAA rule is you can go to 15. We won't be able to do that, but if we go up to 13 on scholarship, 14 on scholarship, it just kind of depends on whether or not we feel like when we get to that stage that the kids that we're involved with add that value.”
On whether money is the first conversation a recruit wants to have in recruiting, no matter what level they are coming from: “Yes (it is). Everybody. Initially it's got to be about fit, it's got to be about style of play, it's got to be about us both looking (for the same thing). Meaning the university or the institution or the program and the prospect, things have to be aligned. But the financial aspect of it is more prevalent today than it's ever been.”
On whether the program is in better shape financially in recruiting than last year: “Without question. We're in better shape than we were a year ago. And, you know, things continue to move and we've just got to be in a position to adjust accordingly.”