Saved searches. He has expressed interest in the health of the program, I’ve been told, but he probably would need complete support from administration to return and resurrect interest in UAB basketball. “A very special day for @CampaignCokley, his family and @UAB_MBB as he signs his first professional contract on his BIRTHDAY! Ehsan, who is only 37 years old, is going to have a great career as a basketball coach. Maryland (Graduate Assistant Coach, 2005-07) It’s a good sign that UAB is investing in a new $8.5 million basketball practice facility. Ehsan is a native of Sacramento, Calif., and is married to the former Lindsey Rattray. Ehsan earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at UC Davis and completed a Master of Business Administration degree at Maryland. Individually, Robert Brown, Cokley, Lee and Nick Norton were named all-conference, while Lee was tabbed the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year and Dirk Williams the Sixth Man of the Year. UAB (Head Coach, 2016-present), © 2020 University of Alabama at Birmingham, College Basketball Invitational - First Round. Ehsan is a native of Sacramento, Calif., and is married to the former Lindsey Rattray. There will be more, but just not at UAB. He deserved a chance to go out swinging, and the way his team rallied at the end of the season certainly suggested the Blazers had the ability to win the Conference USA tournament. Not many coaches can claim that fact. The Blazers finished fifth in Conference USA during the regular season, and lost in the first round of the CBI. Ehsan isn’t really to blame for the current problems facing UAB basketball, and smart people in this tough business recognize that, but college basketball is a high-stakes world. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Maryland (Assistant Recruiting Director, 2007-08) One of the greatest ever to wear UAB jersey and even better person. UAB coach Robert Ehsan reacts to play during the Mike Slive Invitational at the BJCC Legacy Arena in Birmingham, ,Ala., Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. Prior to his time at UAB, Ehsan spent a season as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech under Seth Greenberg and six seasons under Gary Williams at Maryland, where he was heavily involved with many aspects of the program, including coaching, player development, recruiting, academics, scouting, scheduling and fundraising. Ehsan is coming off a successful 2018-19 campaign where he won 20 games while advancing to the Conference USA semifinals for the first time since 2015. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr. Lee is also only the fourth player in league history to be named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year twice. There also needs to be an acknowledgement of just how cruel his fate played out in the end. Ehsan will be remembered for ferrying UAB basketball through a difficult time, and representing the university with class. Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. The team’s leading scorer Zack Bryant (14.9 ppg) was named All-Conference Third Team as  well as to the Conference USA All-Tournament Team after averaging 20.7 points in three games. UAB (Associate Head Coach, 2014-16) Bryant broke the all-time scoring record by a UAB freshman with 448 points, while Lee broke the school record for career blocks with 292. “Our UAB family lost a brother yesterday. Want another positive? As an associate coach under Jerod Haase, Ehsan played a key role in the resurgence of UAB basketball, as he helped the Blazers capture the 2015 Conference USA Tournament championship and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. They have one daughter, Katelyn, and two sons, Davis and Robert Ryder. UAB (Assistant Coach, 2012-14) RIP Cam. Lee was also selected to the All-Conference USA Second Team, marking the third-straight year in which he was named all-conference. Wife: Lindsey, daughter Katelyn, sond Davis and Robert Ryder Robert Ehsan File Born: May 3, 1982 Ehsan is a native of Sacramento, Calif., and is married to the former Lindsey Rattray. (Mark Almond | preps@al.com). Ehsan never made the NCAA or NIT tournaments, and only reached the semifinals of the CUSA Tournament once (last year). The UAB Blazers are searching for a new men's basketball coach after parting ways with Robert Ehsan, WVTM 13's Rick Karle has confirmed. UAB head coach Robert Ehsan celebrates a score over Auburn during the second half Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, at Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com) Facebook Share Twitter Share College basketball is a brutal business sometimes, and coaches understand and operate in that reality, but UAB’s coach was fired without having an opportunity to win his way into the NCAA Tournament. “96 countries are represented among @UABStudents. Ehsan earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at UC Davis and completed a Master of Business Administration degree at Maryland. He’s an excellent recruiter, an ultra-competitor and at the right school he can win big. and becoming the second coach in program history to lose four games in a row at home was a killer. Rob Ehsan isn’t really to blame for the current problems facing UAB basketball, and smart people in this tough business recognize that, but college basketball is a high-stakes world. At UMD, Ehsan was instrumental in securing two Top 25 recruiting classes, and developed players like Jordan Williams, All-ACC, and ACC Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez. Better days are ahead for UAB basketball, but it wasn’t a program in complete disarray by any measure. UAB finished the season 19-13 overall (9-9 in CUSA), and Ehsan’s overall record in four years was 76-57. Ehsan earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at UC Davis and completed a Master of Business Administration degree at Maryland. The swift decision to make a change at UAB suggests a plan is already in place for what’s next, and UAB basketball needs a serious shot in the arm to cure the apathy surrounding Bartow Arena, but before speculating about the next basketball coach on Birmingham’s Southside, Ehsan deserves some credit for how his team finished the season. Virginia Tech (Assistant Coach, 2011-12) 3 seed Iowa State, 60-59, to advance to the NCAA Round of 32. No matter how you want to spin it, Ehsan got a raw deal when UAB fired him on Friday after the sudden cancellation of college basketball’s postseason. Maryland (Assistant Coach, 2008-11) #UABpro” Remove; In this conversation Robert Ehsan will begin his fourth season leading the UAB men’s basketball program in 2019-20. They have one daughter, Katelyn, and two sons, Davis and Robert Ryder. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The Blazers were inconsistent this season, yes, and becoming the second coach in program history to lose four games in a row at home was a killer, but UAB won five of its last seven games of the season and were trending in the right direction. !” Additionally, UAB set school records for overall wins (26), Conference USA wins, road wins (10) and consecutive wins (14). Ehsan played four seasons at UC Davis and started his last two seasons for the Aggies, serving as team captain in his senior year. Education: UC Davis (B.A., Economics, 2005) / Maryland (M.A., Business Administration, 2008) UAB remains a basketball school at its heart, and the right hire can bring the buzz back to Bartow. UAB is far behind Auburn and Alabama at this point, however, and needs an image makeover to once again successfully recruit against those schools and regional powers like Memphis. Born: May 3, 1982 © 2020 Advance Local Media LLC. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Hometown: Sacramento, Calif. He won his last tournament game, too. Ehsan finished 23rd in the nation in free-throw percentage as a junior for UC Davis, which was in a transition period while moving from NCAA Division II to Division I. Cokely and Lee were rewarded for their outstanding careers with invitations to the 2018 NBA Summer League from the Charlotte Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies, respectively. Fans of the program will probably mutiny if former Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy (a Blazer alum) isn’t given first dibs at the job. Lee became the first player in school history to win the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons, finishing the year first in the league and 20th in the country with 2.4 blocks per game. “96 countries are represented among @UABStudents. Robert Ehsan File Ehsan proved himself to be a good coach during his four seasons at UAB, and he went out a winner in the CUSA tournament. Now we’ll never know, and the program is suddenly suspended in limbo due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ehsan and UAB enjoyed more success the following season when the Blazers won the 2016 Conference USA Championship with a 16-2 record inside the league. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. In his first season as head coach, Ehsan guided UAB to 17 wins and directed the Blazers to their fourth consecutive winning season. A second consecutive trip to the postseason capped the year when the Blazers earned a berth in the NIT for the 12th time in school history. UAB would go on to make shockwaves in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, as the 14th-seeded Blazers knocked off No. Not bad, but unfortunately also not good enough for a program that has at times been the best in the state. The Blazers wrapped up the year with a postseason berth in the College Basketball Invitational. The bottom line for UAB right now is that treading water in CUSA is pretty much the same as drowning. Search query Search Twitter. He produced three All-Conference players during his second season in Bryant (All-Freshman), Chris Cokley (First Team) and William Lee (All-Defense). In addition, Lee earned a spot on the All-Conference USA Second Team. He was also involved in the recruitment of Brown, who was originally recruited by Ehsan at Virginia Tech before transferring to rejoin him at UAB, as well as UAB standout Lee and others. They have one daughter, Katelyn, and a son, Davis. The Blazers had a combined record of 8-7 in neutral-site and away games this season, and that was better than league-leading North Texas (7-8). #neverforgotten” Collegiate Coaching Experience: During the 2017-18 campaign, Ehsan led the Blazers to their third 20-win season in four years and the sixth in the last 10 years, clinching the team’s fifth consecutive winning season in the process. So, yes, I mean it when I say Ehsan could have won the CUSA tournament this week, and punched his first ticket to the Big Dance. Excited to be a part of this tournament and represent for #UAB!! That should be the standard at UAB, and anything less is a slap in the face to what Gene Bartow built in Birmingham. That season represented his best time as a head coach with UAB. 1,629 Followers, 985 Following, 366 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Robert Ehsan (@robehsan) UAB has had incredible success in football thanks to Bill Clark’s vision, and that same approach can quickly change the outlook for basketball. UAB won its first game in Frisco, Texas, on Wednesday and was scheduled to play Western Kentucky on Thursday. At UC Davis, Ehsan received the Gordon S. Baranco Award, symbolizing exceptional leadership, unselfishness, work ethic and commitment to the team. That morning, every conference tournament across the country was canceled due to growing concerns about the spread of coronavirus COVID-19.