Recruiting Update

Tarkus Ferguson missing all of December with a foot injury highlighted a serious void in UIC’s roster: point guard depth. While sophomores Godwin Boahen and Marcus Ottey are capable of scoring at a high level, both struggled manning the point while Ferguson was out.

UIC has made the point guard position a point of emphasis in the 2018 class, which currently only includes junior college big man Isaac Bassey. He is averaging 3.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg thus far for State Fair Community College, which is 14-3 so far this season.

UIC has two scholarships left in the 2018 class. The Flames have targeted two point guards thus far, Chase Adams and Tyler Cheese. UIC has also offered Tyreek Scott-Grayson, a teammate of Bassey at State Fair Community College.

Adams, who plays for Orr, garnered an offer on 1/2/18 during a visit to UIC after a strong showing at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament. Adams, listed at 5-foot-8 and 135 pounds, led Orr in claiming the Proviso West Holiday Tournament championship. In four games, all wins, Adams averaged 12.3 ppg and 4.5 apg. He handed out 18 assists and only committed six turnovers.

Adams arrived at Marian Catholic with great hype thanks to dominating at the middle school level alongside Chicago State commit Kezo Brown. Arizona, Baylor and DePaul pursued Adams early on, but that interest fizzled out over time. Adams transferred to Orr over the summer and has thrived with his new team.

Orr is 13-3 and currently ranked #3 by the Chicago Sun-Times. Adams has led Orr as a facilitator, playing alongside Milwaukee-bound guard Tyronn Mosley and two unsigned seniors: Dannie Smith, a 6-foot-5 skilled combo forward and Raekwon Drake, a 6-foot-5 high-flying big man. Smith and Drake are two names to monitor going forward.

Adams was offered by Oral Roberts and Southern Utah over the summer, in addition to his recent offer from UIC.

Cheese, listed at 6-foot-4, plays for Florida Southwestern State College. The big point guard is ranked #52 in the JucoRecruiting.com 2018 class. Cheese is currently averaging 16.4 ppg, 6.9 apg, 5.3 rpg and 2.3 spg. Florida Southwestern State College is 18-1 thus far, thanks to Cheese leading the way.

UIC offered Cheese on 1/6/18, and he also sports offers from Canisius, Mercer and North Carolina Central.

Scott-Grayson is listed at 6-foot-5 and is a freshman qualifier, meaning he’ll be eligible to transfer to a Division I team next season and play as a sophomore. He’s an athletic lefty who is averaging 12.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.1 apg.

UIC offered Scott-Grayson on 12/20/17, and Texas State has also extended an offer.