Ari Gooch Transfer to UAB Felt Like Perfect Fit
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - April 11, 2025
Ari Gooch was looking for an opportunity. He found that in the blank slate that is growing to be the norm in college basketball.
Gooch’s opportunity comes in Andy Kennedy’s UAB basketball program. Gooch, a 6-foot-1 combo guard from Minnesota, who played at McLennan Community College in Texas, committed to Kennedy and the Blazers last week.
“UAB felt like the perfect fit for me,” Gooch said. “The coaching staff believed in my game and my potential from the start. I could tell right away that they had a winning mindset and mentality. They play fast, they play tough, and they develop their players at a high level. And I wanted to be a part of a program that challenges me, and helps me reach my full potential, and I feel like they give me that opportunity.”
Gooch has three years of eligibility remaining after spending just one season at McLennan. He averaged 14.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 51.4 percent overall from the field and 36.3 percent on 3-pointers. He teamed with UAB signee Evan Chatman, a 6-foot-7 forward, to lead the Highlanders to a 27-6 record and a spot in the NCAA Region V championship.
“McClennan was a blessing for me,” said Gooch, who averaged 18 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists as a senior at Park Center High in Minneapolis. “It showed me how to handle adversity, how to work when nobody's watching and how to play the right way. And the competition level is way higher than what I expected. The coaches pushed me every day to be better, to play tougher, be smarter, more disciplined. That's everything you need to be successful at the next level.”
He will share the next level experience with Chatman, who averaged 15.4 points, 7.5 rebounds 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game.
Both are entering a situation where it’s basically a clean slate. Makhi Myles, who played 30 minutes in 11 appearances as a true freshman, announced on Tuesday that he was entering the transfer portal. With Myles decision, the Blazers are slated to return no scholarship players from a team that finished 24-13, advanced to the AAC Tournament championship game and concluded the season with a NIT quarterfinal loss at UC Irvine.
Kennedy and his staff signed three players in the fall signing period and have commitments from Gooch and shooting guard Dayjaun Anderson of Triton (Illinois) Community College. The signees are Chatman, guard Salim London of nearby Hoover High and forward Lance Carr of Kimball High in Dallas, Texas. Anderson is a first team junior college All-America selection and Chatman was honored on the second team. The UAB coaching staff is busy trying to complete the roster. The spring signing period runs from April 16 to May 21.
“You know, everybody's got the same opportunity,” Gooch said. “It's exciting, for sure, and the work that you put in is going to show out. It's definitely a good opportunity.”