Bowen also shooting for NBA

JOINS BANKS AT BULLS MINI-CAMP

(7/6/06)

File photo Former Flame Justin Bowen could team up with Cedrick Banks once again.

Now two former Flames will be competing for roster spots on the Bulls summer league team.

Forward Justin Bowen, who just concluded his three-year UIC career, has been invited to the team’s mini-camp to determine who will be selected to the summer league roster, which will travel to Orlando next week.

Bowen will join guard Cedrick Banks, who recently finished up a strong season in the French League with Besancon by winning the league’s foreign MVP award. The Bulls released the mini-camp roster on Wednesday, which also includes rookies Tyrus Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha, second-year players Luke Schenscher, Eddie Basden and former Kansas point guard Aaron Miles.

The 6-foot-7, 210-pound Bowen, who was the Flames’ MVP this season, earned Second-Team All-Horizon League honors after averaging 14.7 points and 6.8 rebounds and shooting 52 percent from the floor and 78 percent from the free-throw line.

Bowen greatly improved his mid-range shooting touch this season, but will need to extend his range in order to have a shot in the NBA. There is no questioning his athletic ability as he can drive to the basket and possesses great leaping ability.

Banks, meanwhile, had a solid rookie professional year, not only with Besancon, but also with the Nebraska Cranes of the USBL in 2005.

ON THE RECRUITING TRAIL: Various sources have reported that the Flames have been busy recruiting for 2007 in recent weeks.

MidStateHoops.com reported that UIC has offered a scholarship 7-foot, 225-pound center Terrance Williams, who is currently competing for Team Illinois on the AAU circuit. Williams will be a senior at Edwardsville this fall, but has competed only sparingly with the Tigers the last two seasons. He is the No. 38 ranked junior in the state. In addition, HoopScoop ranked Williams as No. 407 in the nation.

Williams has also been offered by Missouri and Southern Illinois and is getting high interest from LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Purdue, USC and Washington. Williams is described as a “high-potential” player that shows decent athleticism for his size. He is a noted shot-blocker but needs to be more aggressive.

The Flames staff also has interest in New Port Richey (Fla.) Gulf guard Anthony Jackson, according to the Tampa Tribune. The 5-foot-8 guard just completed his junior season with the Buccaneers, averaging more than 15 points, three assists and three steals per game. Other schools involved with Jackson are Northern Illinois, Illinois State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, in addition to several Florida schools.

Jackson was Second-Team All-Area and Second-Team All-County as a junior. He possesses tremendous quickness and can score in bunches. He is the school’s leader in single-season steals.

Jackson has also played football at Gulf, splitting time at tailback, defensive back and wide receiver, but is likely to concentrate solely on basketball in the fall. Florida A&M had shown interest in Jackson as a football player.

Jackson received exposure in the Chicago-area when Gulf traveled to the Elgin Christmas tournament in 2004. Jackson averaged nearly 15 points in four games in the tournament as Gulf went 1-3.

ChicagoHoops.com editor Brian Stinnette reported that UIC assistants Dave Donnelly and Lynn Mitchem were busy scouting at April’s Real Deal on the Hill AAU tournament in Fayetteville, Ark. Arkansas’ Stan Heath, Kansas State’s Bob Huggins, Memphis’ John Calipari and Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl were among the other coaching names present at the ultra-competitive AAU tournament in Fayetteville, Ark.

As previously reported, the Flames are also in the hunt for 6-foot-8 Whitney Young power forward Dwight McCombs and 6-foot Mt. Zion (N.C.) point guard Tyree Graham.

File photo UIC recruit Robert Kreps is having a great summer.

ROBO ON A ROLL: Robert “Robo” Kreps, who committed to UIC as a junior, has been on a roll this summer in leading Maroa-Forsyth to summer success.

Kreps led the Trojans to the Jacksonville Shootout championship last weekend with wins over Forreston (and coach Jonathan Schneiderman) in the semifinals and St. Joseph-Ogden in the title game.

Kreps has continued to demonstrate the diverse skills in his arsenal, dropping long-range three-pointers, penetrating for mid-range and close-in jumpers and floaters and dishing off assists when double-teamed. He also plays AAU ball with the St. Louis Falcons.

Kreps led Maroa to a 31-3 record and third place in Class A last season, while scoring 19 points per game. The Trojans should be among the favorites to win it all this season.

Kreps’ father, Dave, was a graduate assistant at Illinois when Lou Henson and Jimmy Collins were in Champaign. Flames assistant Mark Coomes was instrumental in snagging the verbal commitment.

Here are two videos of Kreps in action, courtesy of IllinoisHighSchoolSports.com: Kreps-1 , Kreps-2.

FLAMES FLICKERS: The 2006-07 schedule is still a ways from being complete, but the Flames are locked into the Chicagoland Challenge during Thanksgiving week. UIC will play games at Bradley and Miami (Ohio) before playing twice (against teams to be announced) at the brand-new Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates on Nov. 24-25. … It appears that the Flames will be playing host in the 2007 Bracket Buster game, slated for Feb. 17. UIC is still looking for at least two non-conference home games. … According to the Flames’ preseason roster, senior forward Danijel Zoric has changed his number from No. 50 to No. 43. … A YouTube video of Cedrick Banks playing for Besancon can be found here. … Former UIC nemesis and current Tennessee coach, Bruce Pearl, also has a video on YouTube: Pearl “hulking up.”