UIC Basketball has Arrived, Again

(Chicago Sun-Times)

When the final horn sounded at the Athletics Center O’Rena on Friday evening, UIC basketball officially arrived, again, after a 14 year hiatus. The Flames went into hostile territory and defeated an Oakland team that has finished at least third in the Horizon League the past three years.

This accomplishment- a road victory over a perennial Horizon League favorite- was only a pipe dream the previous decade. But now? A reachable goal within arm’s grasp. And by winning and limiting standout Kendrick Nunn- a Chicago native who is the second-leading scorer in the country- to an abysmal 3-of-22 shooting from the field, UIC firmly cemented itself as threat to win the Horizon League now and for the foreseeable future.

How did UIC pull off the victory, and why are they so successful in Horizon League play now after years of mediocrity? The answer is head coach Steve McClain.

McClain has methodically built UIC into a strong mid-major program, and it started right away in his tenure. Here’s a timeline leading up to UIC’s defeat of Oakland on February 2nd:

-UIC formally introduced McClain as its 11th head coach in program history on March 23rd, 2015.

-In an age where it is common for players to transfer after coaching changes, rising sophomore Tai Odiase elects to stay put at UIC. This is McClain’s first major recruiting victory.

-McClain hits the ground running and lands four newcomers in the 2015 class, most notably Dikembe Dixson and Dominique Matthews. UIC beat out high-majors for a commitment from Dixson in June, including DePaul. Considering how late in the recruiting cycle McClain was hired, these two players prove to be great pickups for UIC.

-On October 3rd, 2015, McClain lands a verbal commitment from his point guard of the future in Tarkus Ferguson from Belleville, IL. Regarded as a combo guard and ranked in the top dozen in the class of 2016 in Illinois, Ferguson is an impressive coup for UIC considering McClain had not won or lost a game yet. He is a three-star recruit.

-Nearly a month later on November 5th, 2015, McClain adds to the 2016 class with the verbal commitment of Ireland-native Jordan Blount. He is regarded as a 6-foot-7 forward with a nice skill set on the perimeter.

-Several days later, McClain signs three-star recruit K.J. Santos from Sunrise Christian Academy, adding to his already impressive 2016 class. Originally from Geneva, IL and the 2015 class, Santos reclassified to the 2016 class and went the prep school route. Santos fits a similar mold to Blount, a 6-foot-7 forward comfortable on the perimeter.

-Despite a 5-22 record, UIC lands yet another verbal commitment in the 2016 class, this time from junior college big man Kyle Guice on February 22nd, 2016. Guice helped lead North Idaho College to a 30-0 record up to that point and thrived as a stretch-four at 6-foot-7.

-Year one only yields a 5-25 record, with only three wins against Division I opponents. UIC finishes in last place in the Horizon League at 3-15. The lone bright spots are Dixson unanimously winning Horizon League Freshman of the Year and Odiase making the Horizon League All-Defensive Team. Dixson averaged a team-leading 19.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in his debut. Odiase not only led the Horizon League in blocks per game with 3.2, but the entire country as well.

-McClain continues hitting the recruiting trail, landing three-star recruit Godwin Boahen on March 18th, 2016. Boahen is a 5-foot-11 point guard from The Hill Academy in Toronto, Canada.

-UIC once again beats out high-majors for a prized recruit on April 10th, 2016, this time 2016 combo guard Marcus Ottey who is also from the Toronto-area. Ottey officially visited Cincinnati but opted for UIC. He is also a three-star recruit.

-The Flames make one last addition to the 2016 class with the addition of junior college big man Clint Robinson on June 20th, 2016. Robinson, a 6-foot-8 big man from State Fair Community College, adds depth to UIC’s frontcourt. He is the finishing touch on arguably the best 2016 recruiting class in the Horizon League.

-The Flames start out the 2016-2017 season with a 4-5 record. UIC already matches the previous years’ victory total against Division I teams heading into their matchup against DePaul on December 14th, 2016. UIC pulls off the upset and defeats DePaul 80-75 at McGrath-Phillips in Lincoln Park. Guice connects on pivotal three with less than a minute left to seal the victory. But the triumph comes at a great cost, as Dixson suffers a season-ending knee injury.      

-Boahen records UIC’s first triple-double in their Division I era in a rout of Roosevelt on December 22nd, 2016. He finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a 91-53 victory.                                                                  

-On January 17th, 2017, UIC wins its third consecutive Horizon League game by defeating Milwaukee to improve to 11-8 overall and 4-2 in conference. The Flames easily surpass the previous years’ Horizon League win total. Odiase dominated with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks.

-UIC heads into the Horizon League Tournament with a 14-17 record and sixth place finish in conference with a 7-11 record. The Flames draw third-seeded Green Bay and pull off the upset with a 79-70 victory. Odiase anchored the paint to the tune of 16 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. UIC eventually loses to tenth-seeded Milwaukee in the semi-finals.

-On March 13th, 2017, UIC accepts an invite to the College Basketball Invitational. The Flames defeat Stony Brook and George Washington, but fall to Coastal Carolina in the semi-finals.

-McClain earns a contract extension on April 19th, 2017, extending his contract through the 2020-2021 season.

-UIC adds Ralph Bissainthe, Michael Diggins, Naradain James and Jacob Wiley to the 2017 class in the spring.

-With the defections of assistant coaches Ronald Coleman and Brendan Mullins, McClain adds Dee Brown and Tony Harvey to the staff on September 1st, 2017.

-UIC stumbles out to a 2-4 record to start the season and lose Ferguson to a foot injury. Ferguson misses all of December as UIC goes 3-6 in the month and loses its first two Horizon League games.

-Ferguson returns on January 4th, 2018 and UIC promptly defeats IUPUI on the road 70-65.

-UIC precedes to go 9-1 with Ferguson back, including Friday night’s road victory over Oakland. The Flames have won six in a row, and even more impressively, their last six road games. UIC sits at 14-11 and 9-3 in Horizon League play. The Flames are just one game out of first place, as Northern Kentucky and Wright State are 10-2 in conference play. UIC gets its rematch against both programs at home at the end of the month.

As noted above, McClain has made shrewd recruiting moves but has also dealt with significant injuries. Blount, Boahen, Dixson, Ferguson, Matthews and Ottey are all sophomores that are key contributors this season. They combine to nearly score 60 points per game, UIC averages 73 points as a team. That’s roughly 81% of UIC’s scoring.

The development of Odiase into one of the country’s best rim-protectors has been critical as he anchors the defense. The Flames currently rank as top-100 defense according to Ken Pomeroy. UIC also does not lose much of a beat when Robinson subs in for Odiase.

Diggins and Wiley have shown flashes of their potential, and Bissainthe is redshirting this season.

UIC is trending up, and while the looming departures of Odiase and Robinson will leave a gaping hole in the middle, the Flames will return four sophomore starter’s in 2018-2019.

Year three under McClain has proven to be fruitful and finally yielded the results he spoke of at his introductory press conference. This final month of conference play and Motor City Madness could potentially land UIC back in March Madness. It’s been too long, but worth the wait for McClain and UIC.