The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Inks Two to 2019 Signing Class
11/15/2018 3:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM – Head coach Robert Ehsan has announced that Jahein Spencer and Jalen Benjamin have submitted National Letters of Intent (NLIs) to further their basketball careers at UAB.
The duo will be eligible to begin their careers entering the 2019-20 season.
"We are thrilled to have Jalen and Jahein sign with our program," head coach Robert Ehsan said. "Both Jalen and Jahein embody all the characteristics that we take pride in recruiting and in our program. They come from great families and are high character young men who take pride in both academics and athletics. Overall, they are both a tremendous fit for our program and will help us compete for championships and academic excellence in the future."
Spencer joins UAB from Napolenville, Louisiana and plays at Madison Prep in Baton Rouge. The 6'4, 215-pound guard played a pivotal role in Madison Prep winning the 3A state championship game.
As a junior, Spencer averaged 16.4 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game in high school play, while posting 7.7 points and 5.8 boards per contest for his AAU team, Louisiana Elite.
"We have been recruiting Jahein since he was a junior in high school and have seen him grow and develop tremendously over the past few years. Jahein is a hard-nosed, tough and physical competitor who will be able to play multiple positions for us. He's a very athletic guard who has the ability to make shots from the perimeter as well as attack the basket on the offensive end. On the defensive side, he has great length and defensive instincts that make him a versatile defender.
"Jahein is coached by one of the best high school coaches in the country in Coach Jeff Jones and plays for a high school program in Madison Prep that has a culture of winning and excellence. We are excited to watch him compete for another state championship this year."
Benjamin played a pivotal role in his first three years of high school at Leesville, scoring over 1,500 points. As a senior at Meadowcreek in Atlanta, he is helping lead a team that is ranked in the top-100 according MaxPreps.
The 5'10, 155-pound guard has been extremely successful with his AAU team, Stackhouse Elite. With Stackhouse, he averaged 15.8 points per game and scored 25 points in the championship game at the 2018 Bob Gibbons Tournament. For his efforts, he was named MVP of the Super Six of the event.
"We very excited to have Jalen sign with us and have recruited and known Jalen and his family for a long time. Jalen is a great point guard and one of the best shooters in the country. His basketball IQ and his toughness are things that we value and are going to be able to help our team immensely in the future. Jalen has had success on every team that he has been on whether it was high school or AAU and he's a player who knows what it takes to win.
"Jalen comes from a great basketball family and has grown and developed as a basketball player under the guidance of his parents, Lisa and Ishua Benjamin. Ishua was a former four-year standout for NC State from 1994-1998 and has had a tremendous impact on Jalen's development."
UAB (2-0) returns to action on Sunday afternoon when it hosts West Alabama in Bartow Arena. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. on CUSA.tv.
Individual season tickets for the 2018-19 UAB men's basketball campaign are on sale and start as low as $105 in Blaze's Corner. New this season is the Family Four Pack which includes four season tickets for a total cost of $400 along with the Flex Pack for $125. Mini plans are also now available here. For more information, call the UAB Athletics ticket office at 205-975-UAB1.
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_MBB).
The duo will be eligible to begin their careers entering the 2019-20 season.
"We are thrilled to have Jalen and Jahein sign with our program," head coach Robert Ehsan said. "Both Jalen and Jahein embody all the characteristics that we take pride in recruiting and in our program. They come from great families and are high character young men who take pride in both academics and athletics. Overall, they are both a tremendous fit for our program and will help us compete for championships and academic excellence in the future."
Spencer joins UAB from Napolenville, Louisiana and plays at Madison Prep in Baton Rouge. The 6'4, 215-pound guard played a pivotal role in Madison Prep winning the 3A state championship game.
As a junior, Spencer averaged 16.4 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game in high school play, while posting 7.7 points and 5.8 boards per contest for his AAU team, Louisiana Elite.
"We have been recruiting Jahein since he was a junior in high school and have seen him grow and develop tremendously over the past few years. Jahein is a hard-nosed, tough and physical competitor who will be able to play multiple positions for us. He's a very athletic guard who has the ability to make shots from the perimeter as well as attack the basket on the offensive end. On the defensive side, he has great length and defensive instincts that make him a versatile defender.
"Jahein is coached by one of the best high school coaches in the country in Coach Jeff Jones and plays for a high school program in Madison Prep that has a culture of winning and excellence. We are excited to watch him compete for another state championship this year."
Benjamin played a pivotal role in his first three years of high school at Leesville, scoring over 1,500 points. As a senior at Meadowcreek in Atlanta, he is helping lead a team that is ranked in the top-100 according MaxPreps.
The 5'10, 155-pound guard has been extremely successful with his AAU team, Stackhouse Elite. With Stackhouse, he averaged 15.8 points per game and scored 25 points in the championship game at the 2018 Bob Gibbons Tournament. For his efforts, he was named MVP of the Super Six of the event.
"We very excited to have Jalen sign with us and have recruited and known Jalen and his family for a long time. Jalen is a great point guard and one of the best shooters in the country. His basketball IQ and his toughness are things that we value and are going to be able to help our team immensely in the future. Jalen has had success on every team that he has been on whether it was high school or AAU and he's a player who knows what it takes to win.
"Jalen comes from a great basketball family and has grown and developed as a basketball player under the guidance of his parents, Lisa and Ishua Benjamin. Ishua was a former four-year standout for NC State from 1994-1998 and has had a tremendous impact on Jalen's development."
UAB (2-0) returns to action on Sunday afternoon when it hosts West Alabama in Bartow Arena. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. on CUSA.tv.
Individual season tickets for the 2018-19 UAB men's basketball campaign are on sale and start as low as $105 in Blaze's Corner. New this season is the Family Four Pack which includes four season tickets for a total cost of $400 along with the Flex Pack for $125. Mini plans are also now available here. For more information, call the UAB Athletics ticket office at 205-975-UAB1.
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_MBB).
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