|
UAB's Vaden Selected 2008-09 C-USA Preseason Player Of The Year
Oct. 14, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB senior guard/forward Robert Vaden has been named the 2008-09 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year, while the Blazer men's basketball team was picked to finish second according to a vote by the league's head coaches, conference officials announced Tuesday. It marks the first time in school history a UAB men's basketball player was selected as a preseason conference player of the year. Vaden's first-team selection marks the second consecutive season a UAB player has been named to the league's preseason first team. Senior guard Paul Delaney III, who earned a medical redshirt after a season-ending injury last November, was tabbed to last year's preseason first team. He became the first Blazer to earn the preseason award since the 1998 campaign when former UAB great Fred Willliams was tabbed to the preseason squad. Vaden, who transferred to UAB from Indiana in 2006, is coming off one of the best single seasons in UAB men's basketball history. The Indianapolis, Ind. native finished the 2007-08 campaign with single-season school marks of points (695), threes made (142) and threes attempted (355). His marks from beyond the arc also set the single-season records for Conference USA. The 2008 C-USA Newcomer of the Year also finished the year ranked among the top 10 single-season for school records including points per game average (21.1, T2nd), field goals made (220, 8th), field goals attempted (539. 4th), free throw percentage (86.3, 4th) and minutes played (1,170, 4th). Vaden was joined on the first team by Memphis' Robert Dozier, Stefon Jackson of UTEP, Jermaine Taylor of UCF and Tulsa's Jerome Jordan. The Blazers were picked to finish second in the league standings behind NCAA runners-up Memphis. College Basketball Invitational champions Tulsa was picked to finish third, followed by UTEP and Southern Miss.
UAB will open the campaign on Nov. 15 when it travels to face in-state foe Troy Trojans at 2 p.m. CT. 2008-09 Preseason Player of the Year 2008-09 Preseason All-Conference Team |
 |
