Author: Scott Adamson

Great sports memories are often defined by buzzer-beating buckets, last-second touchdowns, or walk-off home runs.

My most recent involved a bald guy standing in a mostly empty room.

Andy Kennedy was officially named the seventh head men’s basketball coach in UAB history on Monday, which for me would be exciting under any circumstance. I mean, the guy is the all-time winningest coach in Ole Miss history, averaging more than 21 victories per season.

But in a time of the COVID-19 pandemic – where many of us are worried and frightened while trying to maintain a semblance of routine – it was also a respite.

“I want to give you my heartfelt sentiments to all that have been directly affected in an adverse way during this troubling and confusing time,” Kennedy said during the live stream his “social distance” news conference. “But I know this, I know that Birmingham is strong. I know the UAB community is strong. I know the state of Alabama is strong and together this too, we shall overcome.”

Just as binge-watching a feel-good movie on Netflix can provide a break from an increasingly unsettling reality, so can sports. And when sports is dormant as it is now, looking forward to the day when it springs back into action is uplifting.

“In 1977, when Gene Bartow left Westwood in Los Angeles at UCLA – the pinnacle of college basketball – to come to the Southside of Birmingham to start UAB athletics, he did so with a vision to create a nationally relevant basketball program,” Kennedy said. “In year three, 1981 – led by two Birmingham natives – Coach Bartow led the Blazers to the Sweet 16. In 1982, they doubled down and advanced all the way to Elite 8, awakening the college basketball world that Southside of Birmingham is serious about college basketball.

“It is now my charge, my mission to bring us back to our rightful place on the college basketball landscape. With your help, that will become our new reality.”

Sure, all of that is boilerplate stuff, but it’s stuff I wanted and needed to hear. As much as I love UAB football’s Lazarus act, men’s basketball is the flagship sports program at my alma mater.

I want to see it come back to life, too.

“Things that stuck out to me when I asked him, ‘Why UAB and why now?’ he said, ‘It would be my personal mission to put UAB basketball back to where it once was,’” UAB director of athletics Mark Ingram said. “’I want to win a championship – not just this year – but every year. I want UAB basketball to be a Top 20 program.’”

I always looked up to Coach Bartow. He was a great mentor and a great man, and when I was a young sports writer for the school newspaper, the Kaleidoscope, he made me feel like I mattered.

And since Kennedy became one of “Gene’s boys” after spending a year with Jim Valvano at N.C. State, how could I not be thrilled by the hire – and hopeful that Kennedy will continue what Bartow started?

Mike Anderson has come the closest to date; in four years at UAB he guided the team to three NCAA Tournament berths, including a Sweet 16 appearance.

Since Anderson left following the 2005-06 season, however, the Blazers have waltzed in the Big Dance only twice, and in the last few years fans have stayed away from Bartow Arena in droves.

Maybe soon – or as soon as we can all settle into a new normal – that will change.

Perhaps a brighter roundball future is dependent on a guy plucked from the Blazers’ glorious past.

“It is now my charge, with your help, for us to create more special memories,” Kennedy said. “With your help, we can fulfill Coach Bartow’s vision for this program. Because I know together we will win as one.”

Another basketball season is still a long way away, and no one knows when we’ll get through this current crisis.

But for a few minutes on Monday, Andy Kennedy helped me remember how exciting sports can be.

Ever heard of a work-study program? The Professional Collegiate League hopes to put a unique spin on the concept when it tips off in 2021.

The basketball upstart plans to pay college-age athletes to play while they also receive classroom instruction. Calling itself “college sports reimagined,” the PCL aims to be something of an NCAA/NBA hybrid.

“Our inaugural season is scheduled to tip off in June 2021 with the playoffs planned for Labor Day weekend in September,” said Ricky Volante, PCL CEO and co-founder of the league. “Depending on several factors, the teams will play between 20-24 regular season games each. Our overall player development program runs from May-April, but the regular season was scheduled to maximize attendance in class during the school year.”

Volante and league officials have certainly done their homework, and their plan of action is impressive. The league website defines several goals, one of which is “shifting the paradigm.”

For example, research shows that 50 percent of college basketball players in Power 5 conferences come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. While colleges provide scholarships, the PCL will offer wages along with academic opportunities.

“Our max salary athletes will earn $150,000 per season, while we’re aiming to have a floor of $50,000 per season – this does not include their scholarship,” Volante said. “Salaries will be determined based on several factors, including talent, marketability, social following, market, etc.”

For every kid who is NBA-ready right out of high school – a rarity – there are thousands more who need to hone their skills but also want to earn a paycheck while going to school. To that end, the PCL will assist players in marketing themselves. And since only a handful of players make it professionally, the PCL is designed to prepare them for life with or without basketball.

A primary league mission is to, “… Assist them in building a personal and professional brand that will extend on and off the court, so that each can ‘build their business’ without waiting for a sport-based payday that may never come.”

When I first heard about the organization last year (it was originally known as the Historical Basketball League) I immediately thought of Pacific Pro Football, which aimed to give college age football players a professional option. Yet while Pac Pro was founded in 2017 but has seemingly gone dormant, the Professional Collegiate League already has an infrastructure.

Volante is one of four members of the executive team, which includes chief operating officer David West, chief development officer Keith Sparks and co-founder and chief innovation officer Andy Schwarz.

There are also two advisory boards, one comprised of former athletes (including NBA Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond and NFL Hall of Famers Champ Bailey and Terrell Owens) and another that features people with experience in business, entertainment and journalism.

Of course fans are more interested in what happens on the court, and the PCL has already identified its eight inaugural teams. Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Richmond and Washington D.C. will be part of the circuit’s single entity model and will begin play next summer.

By design, the PCL is concentrating on the East Coast for its first season, with plans to form eight team divisions in other quadrants of the United States over the next five years. Starting out regionally will help hold down costs.

As for the style of play, Volante said it will look familiar.

“We will be playing under NBA rules – mostly,” he said. “There will be some twists and variations that we implement, however, nothing that would be considered “gimmicky.” We feel it’s important to have rules in place that prepare athletes for the professional game, as well as offensive and defensive systems and terminology.”

Players have already been scouted, but will have to decide for themselves if they want to remain eligible to play traditional college ball or go pro via the PCL.

As a fan of alternative sports, I certainly hope the Professional Collegiate League becomes more than just a concept. I think there’s a place for its business model, and done right it could become a game-changer in years to come.

Regardless, there’s always room for more basketball.

For more information on the PCL, go to www.thepcleague.com.