UAB fired men’s basketball coach Mike Davis on Friday morning, despite Davis having one year left on his contract, according to ESPN’s Andy Katz.
Mike Davis Fired At UAB After 6 Seasons
After six up-and-down seasons in Birmingham, UAB fired men’s basketball coach Mike Davis on Friday.
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Davis, who is likely still best known for being Bob Knight’s replacement at Indiana, told Katz that poor ticket sales and attendance were the reasons he was fired. UAB finished this season with a 15-16 record, including a 9-7 mark in Conference USA play.
In six seasons at UAB, Davis compiled a 122-72 record, but took the Blazers to the NCAA Tournament just once. They won Conference USA in 2010-11 and appeared in the big dance as a “First Four” participant, but could not build off of that success this season.
The height of Davis’ coaching career came in 2002, when he led Indiana to the national championship in his second season as the Hoosiers’ head coach. He took IU to the NCAA Tournament in four of his six seasons in Bloomington, but was fired in 2006 following a second round loss.
With the conference landscape about to change significantly, the powers that be in Birmingham likely figured now was the right time to take things in a new direction. Conference USA has a planned a merger with the Mountain West once members Houston, Central Florida and SMU bolt for the Big East in 2013.
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