Posted on April 4, 2002 at 5:00 p.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Mike Anderson is the new head men’s basketball coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, announced UAB Athletic Director Herman Frazier. For the past 17 years, Anderson has been an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas.
“In my discussions with people early in the process, one of the names everyone mentioned to me for this position was Mike Anderson,” Frazier said. “He clearly was one of the top assistants in the nation who was ready to step up and become a head coach of a major program and to move that program forward. I am excited that we were able to attract him to UAB.
“Mike has a reputation for being able to recruit and mentor not only good athletes, but solid citizens,” Frazier said. “He will be a great teacher of the young people who come to UAB to play basketball.”
Anderson is a Birmingham native who graduated from Jackson-Olin High School. He played basketball at Jefferson State Junior College in Birmingham before transferring and playing basketball at the University of Tulsa, where he was a member of the 1981 NIT Championship Team.
He joined Nolan Richardson’s coaching staff at Tulsa in 1982 and followed Richardson to Arkansas in 1985. During his 17 years at Arkansas he was part of teams that went to post-season play 15 times. Arkansas was one of the winningest basketball programs in the 1990s, winning the national championship in 1994 and making Final Four appearances in 1990 and 1995. In addition to being an assistant coach, Anderson has served as the recruiting coordinator, responsible for evaluating student athletes, coordinating and spearheading recruiting visits and prospect correspondence. Additionally, he has been responsible for on-court coaching, assisting with scheduling, working with basketball program supporters and more.
“Through the years, this has been a job that has always interested me,” Anderson said. “UAB’s program has a tremendous legacy of excellence. I am honored and truly excited that I will have the opportunity to extend and grow that legacy.
“It is great to be back home in Birmingham and to be affiliated with this fine university and athletic program.”