Whoosh!Net is your independent source for the latest UIC men's basketball news, features and updates. Whoosh!Net is a non-profit publication dedicated to bringing the best coverage of the Flames.

Current students looking to support the Flames can join the Fury—the rowdy support group of UIC athletics. For more information, call Shawn Sullivan at (312) 355-1330 or e-mail him at ssulli3@uic.edu or contact JP Paonessa at uicfury@gmail.com

Cooked under pressure

Whoosh! photo Senior guard Josh Mayo looks at the stat sheet of his final game as a Flame after a heartbreaking 67-64 loss to Cleveland State.

UIC held a nine-point lead with five minutes to play against Cleveland State in the Horizon League tournament quarterfinal on Friday night in Indianapolis, but the Flames wilted under a pressing defense as the Vikings rallied for 67-64 victory to end UIC's season. Josh Mayo scored 24 points, including 17 from the free-throw line, to lead the Flames. For much more on the game, plus notes on Tori Boyd, Mayo and Scott VanderMeer, click on "News" on the left side of the page.

Mayo and VanderMeer were honored by the conference in the league's postseason awards balloting. For more details, plus the full list of winners and Whoosh!'s vote, click here.

Also, the mid-season edition of Whoosh! magazine, with a close look at Josh Mayo, is available in the Jan. 19 Chicago Flame newspaper, which was available around campus and will be available at upcoming home games.

Also for news on recent games, including contests with Milwaukee, Butler, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Loyola and DePaul, plus Josh Mayo receiving more honors, Mark Coomes' impending departure, Bob Hallberg's honor, Othyus Jeffers' pro career, the complete TV schedule and updates on former Flames, including Cedrick Banks, check out "Archives" on the left side of the page.

In case you missed it, the special interview and story with former Flames baseball star and current Detroit Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson and his one-time aspirations to walk on the UIC basketball team, click here.

Editor's note: Some of the archives will be unavailable for a short time while we update them (this is basically the info from 1999-2002). We hope to have them available some time in the future. In addition, we hope to catch up with putting Whoosh! print edition archives as well.

Plus, an extra special thanks to UIC sports information director John Jaramillo, John Fuller and Curtis Granderson for making the Granderson interview happen. Thanks for your time.

Landmark victory The scoreboard at Allstate Arena on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007 says it all: UIC 85, DePaul 80 -- the Flames' first victory over the school long known as "Chicago's top college team."

Whoosh! photo Former UIC baseball standout Curtis Granderson, now with the Detroit Tigers, was honored before the Flames' game with Butler on Jan. 10, 2007. Granderson participated in the "Lighting of the Flame" ceremony.

Print Whoosh! magazine now available

The season-preview print edition of Whoosh! magazine is now available in the Nov. 4 edition of the Chicago Flame. Copies can be found on campus and in neighboring areas. Plus, copies should be available at some of the upcoming home games. The issue takes a look at one of the nation's best kept secrets in the post in UIC's Scott VanderMeer. It also breaks down the 2008-09 Flames' roster. Plus, a look five top games and five questions with coach Jimmy Collins.

More UIC goodies

For a photo gallery from practice on 2006 UIC media day, click here.

For the photo galleries from 2006 UIC Basketball Madness, click here.

For a photo gallery of a 2006 UIC scrimmage at the Flames Athletic Center before Midnight Madness, click here.

In addition, check out this story on Cedrick Banks' and Justin Bowen's experiences in the Bulls' mini-camp in the summer of 2006.

Special thanks to the Chicago Flame's Phil Crivellone and Rob Freeman for providing additional photos for Whoosh! Also, much thanks and kudos to UIC sports information director John Jaramillo for providing quality photos.

Photo credit: Steve Woltmann/UIC Athletics Cedrick Banks

Flames guard Cedrick Banks became UIC's all-time leading scorer on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2005 at Butler. He converted a four-point play with 17:42 to play in the first half and finished with a game-high 28 points. After scoring a team-high 22 points against Loyola at the Horizon League tournament on March 4, Banks finished his career with 2,097 points. Congratulations to Ced on a remarkable achievement and a brilliant college career. After making the USBL All-Rookie Team in the summer of 2005, Banks played professionally with Besancon in the French Pro-B League and won the league scoring championship. He played on the Bulls' summer league team in 2006 and still hopes for an NBA opportunity. He played the 2006-07 season with French Pro-A team Nancy, then played the 07-08 season in Israel with Maccabi Reshon LeZion.

Player	Years	Points
Cedrick Banks	2001-05	2,097
Kenny Williams	1990-94	2,025
Sherell Ford	1992-95	2,012

The following article is a Whoosh!Net exclusive on Coach Collins setting the school record for victories in December of 2004 and his take on his three favorite games as UIC coach (with links to the original game stories). Click this link for more details: On top of the class