2022–23 UIC Flames men's basketball team

2022–23 UIC Flames men's basketball
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record12–20 (4–16 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Will Veasley (3rd season)
  • Bill Wuczynski (2nd season)
  • C.J. Rivers (1st season)
Home arenaCredit Union 1 Arena
Seasons
2022–23 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Bradley 16 4   .800 25 10   .714
Drake 15 5   .750 27 8   .771
Southern Illinois 14 6   .700 23 10   .697
Belmont 14 6   .700 21 11   .656
Indiana State 13 7   .650 23 13   .639
Missouri State 12 8   .600 17 15   .531
Murray State 11 9   .550 17 15   .531
Northern Iowa 9 11   .450 14 18   .438
Illinois State 6 14   .300 11 21   .344
Valparaiso 5 15   .250 11 21   .344
UIC 4 16   .200 12 20   .375
Evansville 1 19   .050 5 27   .156
2023 MVC tournament winner

The 2022–23 UIC Flames men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Chicago in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Flames, led by third-year head coach Luke Yaklich, played their home games at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, Illinois as first-year members of the Missouri Valley Conference.[1] They finished the season 12–19, 4–16 in MVC play to finish in eleventh place. They lost to Missouri State in the opening round of the MVC tournament.

Previous season

[edit]

The Flames finished the 2021–22 season 14–16, 9–10 in Horizon League play to finish in eighth place. In the Horizon League tournament, they beat Milwaukee[2] in the first round before losing to Purdue Fort Wayne in the quarterfinals.[3]

The season marked the Flames' final year in the Horizon League as the school announced it would join the MVC following the season.[4]

Offseason

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Departures

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Departures
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jamie Ahale G 6'5 205 Senior Montrose, Australia Graduated
Damaria Franklin G 6'3 205 Senior Chicago, IL Transferred to Memphis
Zion Griffin F 6'6" 215 Senior Darien, IL Transferred to Tennessee State

Incoming transfers

[edit]
Transfers
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Tre Anderson G 6'1 185 Graduate Student Tacoma, WA Idaho
Toby Okani G 6'8 210 Junior Orange, NJ Duquesne
Shaun Williams G 6'4 190 Redshirt Senior St. Louis, MO Cal State Bakersfield

2022 recruiting class

[edit]
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Steven Clay
SG
Menomonee Falls, WI Menomonee Falls High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Apr 18, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Cameron Fens
C
Dubuque, IA Hempstead High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Apr 18, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Jalen Jackson
PG
Fort Wayne, IN Northrop High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 15, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A
Christian Jones
PG
East St. Louis, IL East St. Louis High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) May 20, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars    ESPN grade: 79
Bessanty-Aime Saragba
C
Marseilles, France Trinity Collegiate School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) N/A Aug 19, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

[edit]

The Flames were picked to finish in 11th place in the conference's preseason poll.[5]

Roster

[edit]
2022–23 UIC Flames men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 0 Jace Carter 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Titusville, Florida
G 1 Jalen Jackson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Fort Wayne, Indiana
G 2 Steven Clay 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Milwaukee, Wisconsin
G 4 Tre Anderson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) GS Tacoma, Washington
G 5 Toby Okani 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Orange, New Jersey
G 10 Christian Jones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr East St. Louis, Illinois
G 15 Griffin Yaklich (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Joliet, Illinois
G 22 Shaun Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr St. Louis, Missouri
F 33 Jaden Bronwell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Fr Sandy, Utah
C 42 Bessanty-Aime Saragba 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Marseille, France
F 50 Filip Skobalj 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Belgrade, Serbia
C 54 Cameron Fens 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Fr Dubuque, Iowa
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: August 30, 2022

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2022*
7:00 pm
Illinois Tech W 90–52 
 20  Anderson   7  Tied        Credit Union 1 Arena 
Chicago, IL
Regular season
November 7, 2022*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Trinity Christian W 82–48  1–0
 13  Carter   13  Okani   6  Jones  Credit Union 1 Arena (1,177)
Chicago, IL
November 11, 2022*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Loyola–Chicago L 63–70  1–1
 20  Anderson   6  Fens   3  Anderson  Credit Union 1 Arena (3,550)
Chicago, IL
November 14, 2022*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Jacksonville State W 67–60  2–1
 22  Carter   10  Carter   5  Anderson  Credit Union 1 Arena (1,019)
Chicago, IL
November 19, 2022*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
vs. Fordham
Tom Konchalski Classic
L 65–79  2–2
 21  Okani   8  Carter   3  Jackson  Rose Hill Gymnasium 
Bronx, NY
November 21, 2022*
3:00 p.m.
vs. Stonehill
Tom Konchalski Classic
W 77–71  3–2
 28  Carter   7  Carter   7  Anderson  Rose Hill Gymnasium 
Bronx, NY
November 22, 2022*
3:00 p.m.
vs. Holy Cross
Tom Konchalski Classic
W 89–66  4–2
 20  Okani   13  Okani   7  Anderson  Rose Hill Gymnasium 
Bronx, NY
November 26, 2022*
6:00 pm, ESPN+
at Green Bay W 78–64  5–2
 25  Anderson   8  Okani   5  Anderson  Kress Events Center (1,200)
Green Bay, WI
November 30, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Missouri State L 51–66  5–3
(0–1)
 15  Carter   12  Okani   4  Anderson  Credit Union 1 Arena (1,174)
Chicago, IL
December 3, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Drake L 64–77  5–4
(0–2)
 18  Carter   12  Okani   5  Anderson  Knapp Center (2,860)
Des Moines, IA
December 10, 2022*
1:30 p.m., ESPN3
at Western Michigan W 62–56  6–4
 18  Carter   6  Okani   4  Anderson  University Arena (1,682)
Kalamazoo, MI
December 13, 2022*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Prairie View A&M W 70–61  7–4
 16  Okani   6  Okani   6  Okani  Credit Union 1 Arena (1,081)
Chicago, IL
December 18, 2022*
1:00 pm, ESPN+
Northeastern W 81–73  8–4
 22  Carter   6  Okani   4  Tied  Credit Union 1 Arena (1,218)
Chicago, IL
December 20, 2022*
8:00 pm, BTN
at Northwestern L 54–92  8–5
 12  Okani   6  Carter   3  Tied  Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,704)
Evanston, IL
December 28, 2022
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Illinois State W 55–51  9–5
(1–2)
 18  Okani   7  Tied   4  Carter  Credit Union 1 Arena (2,014)
Chicago, IL
December 31, 2022
1:00 pm, ESPN+
at Bradley L 45–79  9–6
(1–3)
 17  Carter   8  Okani   2  Okani  Carver Arena (4,890)
Peoria, IL
January 4, 2023
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Belmont L 71–77  9–7
(1–4)
 21  Carter   8  Okani   6  Jackson  Credit Union 1 Arena (1,194)
Chicago, IL
January 7, 2023
1:00 pm, ESPN3
at Indiana State L 60–80  9–8
(1–5)
 12  Skobalj   7  Carter   4  Anderson  Hulman Center (3,463)
Terre Haute, IN
January 10, 2023
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Drake L 71–76 OT 9–9
(1–6)
 19  Okani   8  Carter   6  Skobalj  Credit Union 1 Arena (1,778)
Chicago, IL
January 14, 2023
3:00 pm, ESPN3
at Murray State L 64–81  9–10
(1–7)
 18  Carter   5  Tied   3  Tied  CFSB Center (5,417)
Murray, KY
January 17, 2023
6:00 pm, ESPN+
at Valparaiso L 66–76  9–11
(1–8)
 29  Okani   11  Okani   7  Jones  Athletics–Recreation Center (1,850)
Valparaiso, IN
January 21, 2023
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Northern Iowa L 72–78  9–12
(1–9)
 27  Anderson   8  Okani   7  Anderson  Credit Union 1 Arena (2,312)
Chicago, IL
January 24, 2023
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Missouri State L 59–63  9–13
(1–10)
 19  Carter   6  Okani   4  Carter  Great Southern Bank Arena (3,026)
Springfield, MO
January 29, 2023
1:00 pm, ESPN+
Bradley L 76–83  9–14
(1–11)
 25  Carter   10  Carter   5  Tied  Credit Union 1 Arena (2,240)
Chicago, IL
February 1, 2023
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Illinois State L 62–68 OT 9–15
(1–12)
 29  Anderson   4  4 tied   3  3 tied  CEFCU Arena (3,409)
Normal, IL
February 4, 2023
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Evansville W 70–61  10–15
(2–12)
 17  Clay   12  Carter   4  Tied  Credit Union 1 Arena (1,545)
Chicago, IL
February 8, 2023
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Southern Illinois L 66–68  10–16
(2–13)
 17  Carter   9  Carter   4  Tied  Banterra Center 
Carbondale, IL
February 11, 2023
1:00 pm, ESPN3
at Belmont L 71–98  10–17
(2–14)
 21  Jackson   6  Okani   3  Tied  Curb Event Center (2,341)
Nashville, TN
February 15, 2023
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Indiana State L 60–79  10–18
(2–15)
 23  Jackson   8  Okani   6  Okani  Credit Union 1 Arena (2,102)
Chicago, IL
February 19, 2023
1:00 pm, ESPN+
Valparaiso W 74–73  11–18
(3–15)
 19  Jackson   9  Carter   6  Anderson  Credit Union 1 Arena (1,805)
Chicago, IL
February 22, 2023
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Evansville W 82–76  12–18
(4–15)
 22  Carter   8  Carter   6  Anderson  Ford Center (4,085)
Evansville, IN
February 26, 2023
1:00 pm, ESPN+
Southern Illinois L 65–68  12–19
(4–16)
 22  Carter   14  Okani   5  Skobalj  Credit Union 1 Arena (2,502)
Chicago, IL
Missouri Valley tournament
March 2, 2023
8:30 pm, MVC TV
(11) vs. (6) Missouri State
Opening round
L 57–74  12–20
 14  Carter   8  Okani   4  Skobalj  Enterprise Center (3,564)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time Zone.

Source[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "UIC Officially Welcomed to Missouri Valley Conference" (Press release). UIC Flames. August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Flames Push Past Panthers in #HLMBB Championship Opener". uicflames.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "Furious Fight Falls Short for @UIC_MBB". uicflames.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  4. ^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. "University of Illinois Chicago to join Missouri Valley Conference in 2022-23". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  5. ^ MVC. "Murray State picked 8th, SIU 3rd in MVC preseason rankings". WPSD Local 6. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Schedule". UIC Athletics. Retrieved September 22, 2022.