2022–23 UIC Flames men's basketball team

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.

2022–23 UIC Flames men's basketball
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record12–20 (4–16 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Will Veasley (3nd season)
  • Bill Wuczynski (2nd season)
  • C.J. Rivers (1st season)
Home arenaCredit Union 1 Arena
2022–23 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Bradley164 .8002510  .714
Drake155 .750278  .771
Southern Illinois146 .7002310  .697
Belmont146 .7002111  .656
Indiana State137 .6502313  .639
Missouri State128 .6001715  .531
Murray State119 .5501715  .531
Northern Iowa911 .4501418  .438
Illinois State614 .3001121  .344
Valparaiso515 .2501121  .344
UIC416 .2001220  .375
Evansville119 .050527  .156
2023 MVC tournament winner

Previous season

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

Departures

Departures
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jamie AhaleG6'5205SeniorMontrose, AustraliaGraduated
Damaria FranklinG6'3205SeniorChicago, ILTransferred to Memphis
Zion GriffinF6'6"215SeniorDarien, ILTransferred to Tennessee State

Incoming transfers

Transfers
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Tre AndersonG6'1185Graduate StudentTacoma, WAIdaho
Toby OkaniG6'8210JuniorOrange, NJDuquesne
Shaun WilliamsG6'4190Redshirt SeniorSt. Louis, MOCal State Bakersfield

2022 recruiting class

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: Scout: N/A   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: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/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: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/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: Scout: N/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: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/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

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

Roster

2022–23 UIC Flames men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
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

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, 2021*
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, 2022
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

  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.
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