OPENING TIP: Don’t give up on that special season just yet

COMMENTARY (as published in Whoosh! magazine Jan. 20, 2004)

Here I sit halfway through the season, looking at this UIC Flames team, not sure what to think about an 11-5 start.

I see people in the message board community talking about how the Flames are now “vulnerable” and that they are “overrated.” These are UIC fans, along with fans of other Horizon League schools.

I’ve seen this team play for Jekyll and Hyde in front of my eyes this year. They looked like a Final Four squad in the victories over Northwestern and Loyola, but conversely, they played almost like the forgettable 7-21 Flames of a few years back against Illinois and Detroit.

After a few minutes at my keyboard, sipping on a can of Diet Mountain Dew, I have concluded that “the demise of the Flames has been greatly exaggerated.”

Sure, they looked like a lost team during the recent three-game losing streak, but after a couple of solid wins, my confidence in the team has returned.

Cedrick Banks is fluid again, moving without the ball, and finding openings in defenses, like he was before the three-game streak.

Thanks to a big game against Loyola, Aaron Carr has regained his confidence and shooting touch, and realizes he needs to do the little things to help the Flames win games.

Excluding the Illinois tilt, Martell Bailey rarely has a bad game. He should be the national leader in assists average once again before this season is over.

Justin Bowen, even with the team struggling in late December, asserted himself as a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming weeks with his rebounding, defense and athleticism. Sure, he still has to improve in some areas, but he’s proven to be a valuable newcomer.

Joe Scott has shown flashes of brilliance of late on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. He may not become the force many expected him to be, but as coach John Robic of Youngstown State said recently, “he could be a key with this team.”

Newcomers Elliott Poole, Marcetteaus McGee, Josip Petrusic and Jovan Stefanov have been up and down, but all have shown at one time or another that they can play at this level.

Most importantly, the Flames wouldn’t be the team they are without senior forward Armond Williams. Armond is a dynamite player. He wasn’t always the most touted player, but he’s the one that leaves his heart and soul on the floor every night.

Coach Jimmy Collins likes to throw out the term “warrior” to a tough, hard-nosed player, but Armond truly fits that bill. To learn more for yourself about this warrior, check out “Armond the Hammer” on Pages 4-5 of this copy of Whoosh!

I haven’t always been an optimist about everything, but this team is too talented not to succeed. They simply don’t like to lose.

The recent upswing hasn’t cured all the ills, but I’m confident that team will improve defensively and will shoot its free throws better – at least a little bit better than 60 percent.

So for all the naysayers out there, don’t cancel the party just yet. Don’t lose those tickets to the Dance, because I still believe the Flames are the favorites in this Horizon League, especially with Butler struggling.

I still expect an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in March.