UAB Director of Athletics Brian Mackin announced Monday the hiring of University of North Carolina assistant coach Jerod Haase (rhymes with "class") as the fifth head coach in the 34-year history of the Blazer men’s basketball program.

Haase, who turns 38 on April 1, played for Roy Williams at Kansas and has spent the last 13 years on Williams’ staff with the Jayhawks and North Carolina. He helped the Tar Heels to national championships in 2005 and 2009. Known as a top recruiter, he has also served as the head coach for the junior varsity team five times in his nine-year UNC tenure.

A 1997 Kansas graduate in business administration, Haase’s first job came at his alma mater as the Director of Basketball Operations from 1999-2003. During that time, the Jayhawks reached the 2002 Final Four and the national championship game in 2003.

The formal introduction will take place tomorrow morning at 9:30am.