Fran Sharp Merrell became the first head coach of then-named Lady Blazer’s basketball team in August 1977, when this photo was taken, and the new team took the court for the first time Nov. 29, 1978. Merrell coached at UAB until 1981.
This past week, UAB’s Women’s Basketball claimed its first Conference USA regular season championship after taking down UTSA, 74-66. UAB, with its 24-5 overall and 13-3 conference record, will be the No. 1 seed at the C-USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas, March 7-10, and earns an automatic bid for the 2018 WNIT.
The 2018 team, led by Head Coach Randy Norton, is ranked No. 4 in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio at 1.5. Sophomore Deanna Kuzmanic has the best assist/turnover ratio in the Conference USA at 2.6.