The Dragon's Den

Join me as I welcome Chris Giles (UAB Men's Basketball Forward 1979-1982) back on the podcast to promote his new book! The book is titled, Birmingham Golden Years of High School Basketball. It discusses great historical accomplishments by former and current basketball players that have gone on to the pros, great basketball coaches, highlights high schools in the Birmingham area and more! You can buy the book from Chris Giles (details in the recording) or you can buy it at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the Vulcan Park Museum, or on Amazon (link below)! Check it out!

https://www.amazon.com/Birmingham-Golden-Years-School-Basketball-ebook/dp/B0B7K83TZ8

Be sure to follow my social pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Join me as I talk with one of the all-time greats from UAB basketball, Jack Kramer! Jack shares a lot of great stories about his friendships with his former teammates including Andy Kennedy, Barry Bearden, Alan Ogg, Carter Long, and many others! Jack also goes into great detail about the lives of his kids, two of which are division 1 NCAA athletes. Jack does a great job setting the scene of what it was like playing with the team and a couple of great moments from games in that era. I learned a lot from this one! 

Be sure to follow my social media pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Go Blazers!

Join me as I talk with former UAB football wide receiver and kick returner, Frantrell Forrest. This has been one of my favorite episodes so far! Frantrell was 100% real in his discussion about the highs and lows of his playing days and life in general. He is one of the most dynamic players to ever step foot on the field for UAB football. We discussed everything from his life before college, his big game moments, what it was like on the field with some other UAB greats that played alongside him, his family life, and more! It's worth the listen! 

Be sure to follow my social pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Join me as I talk with one of the greats from the UAB basketball program in the early 2000s, Mr. Paul Delaney III! Paul had a fantastic career at UAB and his name is still all over the Blazer record book. We discuss his role on the team as a leader during the transition from Mike Anderson to Mike Davis, his clutch baskets, battling back from injury, and his current career playing basketball overseas in Israel! Also stick around for another This Week in Blazer History segment! 

Be sure to follow my social pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Go Blazers!

Join me as I talk with Holly Holland-Berry! Intrigued by the opportunity to play in the upstart Conference USA, Holly came to UAB from her hometown near Tampa, Florida and provided a spark for the Blazers. She was one of the greatest sharp shooters from three-point land played alongside some of the greatest Blazers in the history of the program. Holly played a big role in the Sweet 16 run by the UAB women's basketball team in the 2000 season, including 21 points in the Round of 32 game against 3-seeded Mississippi State. Holly has great stories to tell and I really enjoyed our conversation! 

Be sure to follow my social pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! 

Longtime Blazer fan Steve Rutherford and I collaborate to recap the NCAA tournament appearances for the men's and women's teams in UAB's basketball history! The 1981 first appearance and the 1982 Elite 8 run for the men's team will be left out due to my last episode with Chris Giles going into great detail about both of those appearances! UAB has a rich history of basketball, and this episode breaks down all of those special moments! At the time of recording, the UAB-Houston men's NCAA tournament game had not occurred so there is no coverage on the game. Blazer nation is proud of the effort from the team this season and getting back to the Bartow standard by winning the Conference USA tournament and getting back to the big dance! 

Be sure to follow my social pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Go Blazers!

Join me as I talk with one of the pioneers of UAB basketball, Mr. Chris Giles! Chris came to UAB through an unusual way and was there from the beginning! I was so impressed by his attention to detail in his stories about in-game situations, life on campus and around Birmingham, coach Gene Bartow, off the court memories with teammates, and so much more. Giles also came back and coached at UAB both as a grad assistant and later during the Mike Anderson era after a long stay at Jackson State. He was involved in every NCAA tournament win that UAB had either as a player or a coach up until the 2015 win over Iowa State. He is a huge part of UAB history and I know the diehard Blazer faithful will love to hear these stories. No "This Week In Blazer History" segment this week! Look for that next week in my postseason special episode! 

Be sure to follow my social pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Go Blazers!

Join me as I talk with former UAB football linebacker Joe Henderson! Joe was one of the most tenacious defenders in UAB football history and now has his name in several top 10 defensive statistical records at UAB! We discuss some of his favorite memories, his playing career, and friendships with teammates. Hope you enjoy and stick around for the This Week in Blazer History segment! Go Blazers! 

Be sure to follow my social pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Join me as I talk with on of the legends in UAB sports, Marla Townsend! I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this episode! Marla shares some great stories about building the softball program from the ground up, her relationships with former players and their families, Gene Bartow hiring her, and so much more. Marla is one of the most down-to-earth people you will meet and has a tremendous passion for helping young people and of course UAB and Blazer Nation.

Be sure to stick around until the end for a wild "This Week in Blazer History" segment where Mars Bars and plastic megaphones go flying, two brawls occur, Blazer athletes are celebrating birthdays, and a lot of other notable events in UAB history! Be sure to check out my social pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Go Blazers!

Join me as I talk with one of the more recent UAB basketball greats, Mr. Aaron Johnson! Aaron gave amazing insight into what it was like not only on the floor but in the locker room and off the floor as a student-athlete! AJ broke down what happened on some of his biggest shots in his career that lived on in the memories of UAB fans. We also discussed his battles with some of Conference USA’s all-time greats and his relationships with his teammates and past UAB greats that served as mentors for his development. You will learn a lot about AJ and what it was like in the basketball program in the late 2000s! There are some audio issues we ran into, so please forgive us! Aaron was at the hospital at the time of recording due to welcoming his new baby boy into the world! Be sure to check out AJ's new podcast, The General Thoughts Podcast! I will drop a link on my social pages @DragonsDenEFEL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!