It was a tale of three teams for the UIC Flames last season summed up best by their conference mark of 9-9. That record included a 7-2 mark at the Pavilion, a mirror image 2-7 mark on the road and a 0-3 record against Butler. If the Flames could have just been average on the road and beaten Butler once they would have put themselves into the mix at the top of the standings. As it stands, the Flames return two of the top players in the league in senior guard Josh Mayo and senior center Scott VanderMeer.
The speedy 5’11” Mayo was named the pre-season Horizon League player of the year after scoring better than 17 points a contest last season and ranking among the nation’s top three-point shooters. Mayo also led the Flames in assists and has his name littered among the Horizon League leaders in most offensive categories.
Up front VanderMeer is an imposing figure for the Flames. The seven-foot center has twice been named to the league’s all defensive team and now has added a bit of offense to go along with his league leading rebounding and better than 2 blocked shots per game. He posted six double-doubles last season should improve upon his numbers even more this season.
The Flames boasted the league’s top three-point shooting squad last season and averaged better than 68 points a contest. And it wasn’t just Mayo lighting up the nets for UIC. Sophomore guard Robert Kreps was second on the club in three-point percentage and three-pointers made. He will see an even larger role this season and should see his scoring average go into the double figures, up from just over eight points a game last season.
Junior Spencer Stewart, a 6’4” junior guard, hit nearly 33% of his three-pointers last season and was fourth on the club in three’s made.
Junior college transfer Chris Buchanan and Kris Harris will also figure into a Flames backcourt that has just as much depth as talent. Incoming freshman Zavion Neely has been described as a sleeper with ability to heat up fast and score points in bunches.
Alongside VanderMeer upfront are veteran forwards Jeremy Buttell and Jovan Ignjatovic. Buttell was third on the club in rebounding and field goal percentage. He figures to get a few more offensive opportunities this season. Ignjatovic showed some flashes of potential last season and will have to build upon that this season.
Junior college transfer Rob Eppinger stands 6’8” and checks in at 240 pounds. He’s had some run-ins in the past and was banned from playing high school basketball in Illinois. At one point he gave a verbal commitment to Fresno State, but wound up at junior college. Flames coach Jimmy Collins has a knack for finding these kinds of players and getting the most out of them. Eppinger should provide strength and tenacity on the glass and form a nice duo with VanderMeer up front.
Freshman Jelani Poston at 6’7” is said to have a solid game around the basket with good athleticism and soft hands. He adds another solid rebounder to the mix for UIC.
On the wing 6’5” Tori Boyd saw about 15 minutes a game last season and helped put away the Loyola Ramblers by going 8-8 at the free throw line in their showdown in the Horizon League tournament.
Freshman DeMarkus Isom-Jones at 6’5” is a strong offensive player who can score both inside and out. He interest from UMass and George Washington before settling on UIC.
The Flames have talent up and down the roster. The same was true last season though, and the Flames struggled at times with internal bickering along with a Jeckyll and Hyde type personality between home and road. Already this season two walk-on players have left the squad. The talent is there for the Flames to win the Horizon League and it will be up to Collins to get the team to play more consistently. Win or lose, though, this Flames team will be fun to watch.
Contact Joe at joedlugosz@hotmail.com
