For six seasons, Andy Kennedy has consistently elevated the standard for UAB Blazers men’s basketball. But the 2025–26 campaign may have been his most unusual and most impressive coaching job yet.
The Abrupt End in the Tournament
UAB’s season ended abruptly with an 83-78 loss to the Charlotte 49ers in the American Conference Basketball Tournament. This marked the first time in Kennedy’s tenure that the Blazers went one-and-done in the conference tournament. AK isn’t used to losing.
Charlotte shot the lights out, hitting 14 of 29 from three-point range—the second-highest number of made threes in tournament history. Guard Dezayne Mingo led the charge with 35 points, including 8 of 11 from beyond the arc. The next day, Mingo shot just 3 of 12 from the field and 1 of 7 from three.
Still, the loss does not fully capture the strange and resilient season UAB put together.
Season Highlights and Milestones
The Blazers finished 20-12, securing their sixth consecutive 20-win season—the first time that has happened in program history.
Kennedy’s teams have now compiled a 145-62 record during his tenure, including:
• Two conference championships
• Two NCAA Tournament appearances
• An NIT runner-up finish
Kennedy’s consistency also places him in rare company nationally. He is now one of only five active coaches to record 20 or more wins in 16 of his first 19 seasons as a head coach. That list includes some of the most accomplished names in college basketball—John Calipari, Mark Few, Thad Matta, and Jamie Dixon. It’s elite company and another indicator of just how steady Kennedy’s programs have been over nearly two decades.
Developing Talent
Just as important as the wins has been Kennedy’s ability to develop talent. During his time at UAB, he helped elevate players like Trey Jemison, Jelly Walker, and Yaxel Lendeborg into some of the most impactful players the program has seen in the modern era. AK often says he isn’t as dumb as he looks, and we already know he was right when he talked about the potential he saw in Yaxel.
Lendeborg went on a nine-game double-double streak just two games after Kennedy made that comment.
This was also a moment that doesn’t get talked about enough. Back when Kennedy appeared on the Blazer Victory Podcast, he made it clear that Yaxel Lendeborg turned down a significant amount of money elsewhere to return to UAB for another season.
An Unconventional Path to Success
This season’s path to 20 wins was anything but conventional.
• Road dominance vs. home struggles: UAB finished 9-0 in conference road games, yet struggled at home with an 8-10 record in Birmingham and just 2-7 in conference home games.
• Roster rebuild: The team was almost entirely rebuilt, returning only Joey Kahn while integrating 12 new scholarship players and two additional walk-ons.
Despite the roster overhaul and operating with one of the bottom four NIL budgets in the league, the Blazers still met expectations. UAB was picked fourth in the preseason and finished exactly there.
The Stat That Says It All
One statistic from Kennedy highlights how unusual the season truly was.
“We came into this tournament as a four seed, earned by these guys. Out of 18 league games, of which we won 11, we trailed for 60% of those total minutes,” Kennedy said.
In other words, UAB spent the majority of its conference victories playing from behind.
Defining Resilience
That resilience defined the season. Even when the roster was new, the resources were limited, and the circumstances were unconventional, Kennedy’s group consistently found ways to win.
Since Kennedy arrived in Birmingham, the Blazers are tied for 12th nationally in total wins during that span—a remarkable run built on squeezing every ounce out of what the program has.
Looking Ahead: The NIL Challenge
But if UAB wants to maintain this level of success moving forward, it will require a stronger financial commitment in the NIL era. Competing in the American Conference increasingly means keeping pace with programs willing to invest heavily in their rosters. It will take more than a simple donation page to get UAB’s NIL efforts on track. It will require real vision and commitment from the top.
In a season where UAB often played from behind on the court and financially behind off it, Kennedy once again proved capable of doing the most with the least.
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