Alabama State University Athletics

Sidney Ball enters his second season with the Hornets. He came to ASU after spending the previous seven years at UAB.

Ball has been a part of a significant Hornet turnaround which saw ASU win the 2025 SWAC Tournament title by winning 11 of its last 13 games during the 24-25 season. That includes three consecutive wins in the conference tournament and a historic win over Saint Francis in the opening week of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

A 2005 UAB graduate, Sidney Ball returned to the Southside as Director of Basketball Operations on head coach Andy Kennedy’s first UAB staff in April 2020. He added the title of Assistant Coach to his role for the 2023-24 season. He worked closely with the development of Trey Jemison, III, who went on to play for the Birmingham Squadron, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Before returning to the Southside, he spent six seasons across town as an assistant coach at Samford. In 2016-17, Ball helped the team to its first 20-win season in 11 years and the program’s first-ever postseason victory when the Bulldogs defeated Canisius in the CIT.

Coach Ball played an instrumental role in the development of numerous Bulldog post players, while also coaching Josh Sharkey and Christian Cunningham, the top two assists leaders in program history.

Ball began his athletics career in UAB’s academic services department following his graduation in 2005. His main responsibilities included tracking the academic progress of the Blazers’ women’s basketball, cross country and track and field teams, as well as assisting with the student-athlete development program.

As a player with the Blazers, which included two seasons with Kennedy as an assistant coach, Ball was a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter. He led the Blazers to a pair of postseason appearances – a quarterfinal appearance in the 2003 NIT and a NCAA Sweet 16 berth in 2004. As a senior, Ball helped lead UAB to 22 victories and played a significant part in the Blazers’ upset over No. 1 overall Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. He was the team’s leading rebounder his junior and senior season. Ball was a part of 74 total victories.

A native of Duncanville, Ala., Ball played at Hillcrest High School where he was on the Birmingham News Super Senior list and was named Second Team All-State and was also a starter in the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star game.