Johnson column: Troy-UAB series good for both

TROY — This could be the start of something special, this Troy-UAB basketball gig.

“It seemed like February,” Troy coach Don Maestri said. “An enthusiastic crowd out there. It felt like college basketball should feel.”

And it made one wonder why it took these two so long to get together in the first place.

Troy and UAB played against each other for the first time ever on the basketball court Saturday afternoon at Trojan Arena, adding some spice to the season opener for both.

UAB was the winner on the scoreboard, 87-66, but the fans in attendance were winners, too.

There was a bunch of them — and surprisingly about half of them were wearing the green and gold of UAB.

“Kind of like a neutral site,” Troy guard Richard Delk said.

At times, it was actually more like a UAB home game.

An estimated 1,000 fans were in attendance supporting the Blazers — many getting there early and tailgating out in the parking lot.

“When we pulled up in the bus, it made it feel like a home game,” UAB’s Lawrence Kinnard said. “I think we came out more anxious to show them what we could do.”

The UAB fans were extremely vocal, but they also had much more to cheer about.

This is a very good UAB basketball team. I feel fairly safe in saying this Blazer team will prove to be the best college team in the state this season.

There was certainly good support from Troy fans as well, but I’m sure there would have been many more had the Trojan football team not have been playing at LSU on Saturday night.

Those there were treated to some fast-paced basketball played at a high level. Troy made it interesting in the first half, and trailed by just two at the break.

“For a while, the game was very exciting,” Maestri said.

But the Blazers performed like a well-oiled machine in the second half, looking like a team destined for the NCAA Tournament at season’s end.

“They’re good,” Maestri said. “And (UAB coach) Mike Davis has done a good job of bringing UAB back to the standards that UAB once enjoyed.”

In many ways, Maestri must be proud of Davis — his one-time pupil. When Maestri was an assistant at the University of Alabama from 1980-82, Davis was a standout guard for the team.

“It was a really difficult game for me because coach Maestri was my coach at Alabama and he was kind of like a father figure and mentor to me,” Davis said.

While it may have been tough for the two friends to match wits, it was a win-win situation for the schools.

“We had a midseason crowd — this was a vocal crowd,” Maestri said. “These are the games you look forward to playing.”

And watching.