UIC Adds Much Needed Guard Depth

New UIC head coach Luke Yaklich and his staff have added more back court players to the roster, once again tapping into the junior college and transfer market.

Maurice Commander, a transfer from Chattanooga, verbally committed to UIC on May 11th. As a sophomore, Commander started 31 of 32 games for the Mocs. A Chicago-native and former standout at Marist and Curie, he played on and off the ball for Chattanooga and averaged 6.2 points per game and 2.6 assists per game in 29.2 minutes. Listed at 6-feet tall, Commander will add much needed depth to the Flames backcourt, joining fellow newcomers Teyvion Kirk and RayQuawndis Mitchell. He is also the third Illinois-native to transfer to UIC since Yaklich has taken over, along with Kirk (Colorado State) and Zion Griffin (Iowa State).

In addition to Commander, Jalen Johnson committed to UIC last week. Johnson, who hails from Hopkinsville, KY, started his career at Murray State in 2018-2019. After playing sparingly, Johnson transferred to John A. Logan College in Chicago for the 2019-2020 season and thrived as a floor-spacer. He averaged 9.3 points per game while shooting 42% from three, making 66 3-pointers in 33 games. Johnson was listed at 6-foot-1 on the John A. Logan roster, so he will be another important addition to UIC’s crop of guards.

UIC has now filled 12 of 13 allotted scholarships for the 2020-2021 season.

Update on Illinois Mid-Major Programs

Loyola and UIC have been active this spring, attempting to address different needs for the 2020-2021 season.

Jalon Pipkins transferred in early April, allowing the Ramblers to get involved with several athletes, including transfers and high school prospects. The current players Loyola is known to be pursuing are transfers Ishmael El-Amin and Joe Pridgen.

El-Amin is a rising senior transferring from Ball State, and will likely have to sit out the upcoming season. Loyola is familiar with him, as the Ramblers defeated Ball State 70-58 on December 3rd, 2019. El-Amin torched the Ramblers to the tune of 24 points, making 4-of-6 shots from three. Listed as a 6-foot-1 guard, he averaged 13.8 points per game, while making 77 3-pointers at 39.3%. El-Amin's scoring prowess earned him a Third-Team All-Mac selection. He has several mid-major and high-major programs after him, so he will be a difficult player to land.

Pridgen recently announced his transfer from Holy Cross, with Loyola mentioned as a school that immediately expressed interest. He was productive out of the gate, becoming the Patriot League Freshman of the Year thanks to a gaudy stat line: 17.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 35.2 minutes. Pridgen will be a sit-one, play-three sophomore when eligible in 2020-2021 and he is listed at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds. He played the combo-forward role for Holy Cross, which is a position of need for Loyola. Rising seniors Tate Hall and Aher Uguak will exhaust their college eligibility at the conclusion of the 2020-2021 season, which leaves a big opening at the combo-forward spot. Much like El-Amin, Pridgen has no shortage of suitors, but he does fit in well with Loyola from a roster standpoint.

New UIC head coach Luke Yaklich has hit the ground running for the Flames. UIC landed two transfers, Zion Griffin from Iowa State and Teyvion Kirk from Colorado State. The Flames also signed a much needed wing in RayQuawndis Mitchell, a junior college transfer from Otero Community College.

Griffin, regarded as a four-star, #85 recruit in the class of 2018 by Rivals, left Iowa State in search of a fresh start and more playing time. He saw very few minutes in two years at Iowa State, injuries did not help matters. But the athletic, 6-foot-6 4-man from nearby Hinsdale, IL flashed immense potential as high-schooler. He chose Iowa State over Kansas and Pittsburgh, and should benefit from a year off to fully heal and get integrated into Yaklich's program. UIC will graduate Michael Diggins and Jacob Wiley his position, so there will be plenty minutes for Griffin.

Kirk graduated from Joliet West High School in 2017, where Yaklich coached from 2007-2013. He is a well-traveled player, as UIC will be his third college in three years. Kirk started his career at Ohio, where he was very productive in 2019: 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. The 6-foot-4 guard then transferred to Colorado State, where he sat out this past season. Now listed as a graduate transfer by ESPN, Kirk should get lots of minutes as a combo guard.

Mitchell, also a 6-foot-4 guard, thrived this past season at Otero. He averaged 15.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Mitchell really excelled from beyond the arc, making 83 3-pointers at 40.9% in 32 games. UIC graduated all of its guards, so Mitchell fills a big need on the perimeter, especially as a floor-spacer.

The Flames still have three openings on the roster, expect them to target more guards/wings. Pridgen, mentioned earlier as a transfer target for Loyola, has also heard from UIC.

San Francisco Transfer Souley Boum Signs With UTEP

Photo courtesy of SFExaminer.com

UTEP landed yet another transfer, this time dipping into the west coast and getting Souley Boum from San Francisco. Boum officially visited UTEP this weekend and signed with the Miners while on campus.

Boum, a 6-foot-3 guard, had a promising freshman year at San Francisco, landing on the West Coast Conference All-Freshman team. He averaged 10.9 points per game in only 20.9 minutes per game. He reached the 20-point plateau seven times, scoring a career-high 26 points twice against Colgate and Portland. Boum also led San Francisco in free throws made and free throws attempted, all on limited minutes and a slim 145 pound frame.

New associate head coach Lamont Smith is very familiar with Boum, having coached against him this past season as the head coach of San Diego. Boum scored 21 points against San Diego in their first meeting, then five points in the second game.

The fit between Boum and UTEP looks great on the surface, especially when you factor in the coaching staffs' success with sit one play three transfers. Current Fresno State guard Deshon Taylor averaged 7.6 points per game in the 2014-2015 season at UMKC. He then transferred to Fresno State and averaged 12.5 points per game in his first year eligible in 2016-2017. Taylor improved again and averaged 17.8 points per game this past season. There are strong parallels between Boum and Taylor as high-scoring guards.

Boum is already a proven commodity as a scorer, thriving at getting to the free throw line and shooting a respectable 36% from three. A sit out year will do wonders for him in terms of adding strength to his diminutive stature and getting acclimated to a new system at UTEP.

Head coach Rodney Terry continues to remake the UTEP roster. Boum is the second transfer Terry has landed, joining NJIT transfer Anthony Tarke. Both Boum and Tarke are promising transfers for the Miners, as both were double-digit scorer’s at their previous schools.

Boum and Tarke might not be the last transfers that UTEP lands. Former Fresno State big man Bryson Williams also officially visited UTEP this past weekend. The Miners still have three roster openings for the 2018-2019 season.

UTEP Lands NJIT Transfer Anthony Tarke

A day after landing 2018 big man Kaosi Ezeagu, UTEP strikes again as NJIT transfer Anthony Tarke committed to the Miners today. He chose UTEP over Maryland and South Alabama.

Tarke wrapped up a productive sophomore season finishing with averages of 15.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists. He also chipped in 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. The 6-foot-6 athlete was primarily used as a power forward at NJIT, where his impressive leaping ability was put to use. His production went up during Atlantic Sun Conference play, where he averaged 17.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

The one area where Tarke struggled this past season was his perimeter shot, both at the free throw line (64%) and from three (28% on 4.9 attempts per game). The sit out year should help increase those percentages, as will his shot selection.

Tarke joins Ezeagu, Nigel Hawkins, Efe Odigie and Deon Stroud in head coach Rodney Terry’s first recruiting class. UTEP now has four scholarships left for the 2018-2019 season.

Kaosi Ezeagu Commits to UTEP

Head coach Rodney Terry added a new piece to the puzzle with the commitment of Canadian big man Kaosi Ezeagu this evening. Ezeagu, a 2018 big man, chose UTEP over South Carolina and Western Michigan. He also becomes the second Canadian on UTEP’s roster, joining redshirt junior wing Isiah Osborne.

Ezeagu, listed at 6-foot-10, developed a reputation as a defensive-minded big man. He graduated from GTA Prep at Mississauga Secondary School in Brampton, Canada. Ezeagu participated in the BioSteel All Canadian High School Basketball Game this year, the equivalent of the McDonald’s All-American Game in the United States.

He will team up with fellow incoming freshman Efe Odigie to man the center position. While Odigie is lauded for his offensive touch in the paint and hands, Ezeagu thrives as a rim-protector. He joins Nigel Hawkins, Odigie and Deon Stroud in UTEP’s 2018 class.

There are still five scholarships left for Terry and his staff to use. NJIT combo forward Anthony Tarke, who recently officially visited UTEP, is set to make his decision tomorrow. Tarke’s finalists are Maryland, South Alabama and UTEP.