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Lowe back with the Flames
STAR OF UIC’S 1ST NCAA TEAM ACCEPTS JOB
(8/16/06)
Bryant Lowe was a leader on and off the court during his tenure at UIC. He will be a good influence as the team's director of basketball operations. Another former Flame from the pioneering 1997-98 NCAA tournament squad is coming home.
Bryant Lowe, one of coach Jimmy Collins’ first recruits as head coach at UIC, was officially hired as the Flames’ director of basketball operations.
Lowe, a 1999 UIC graduate, played for two years with the Flames, leading them to a 37-20 record and an at-large berth in the 1998 NCAA tournament. The 6-foot-5-inch swingman averaged 15.1 points and 8.7 rebounds during the ’97-’98 season, in which UIC went 22-6 and took a share of the MCC regular-season championship. He was also First-Team All-MCC that season.
Lowe was also a two-team NJCAA All-American at Rend Lake Community College and a 2002 inductee to the school’s Hall of Fame.
“I am elated to have Bryant back in the program,” Collins said in an athletic department press release. “His years at UIC were special and we are confident he will do a great job for us in this position.”
Lowe takes over the position, which had been vacant for almost a year. Andrew Haring held the job from Collins’ hiring until last October when he left to take a position at Northern Illinois.
Lowe will help with numerous team operatives, including travel planning. The Cairo, Ill. native will also be on the Flames’ bench during games and will be a voice to the younger players. He has always been close to the program, attending games and visiting players and coaches.
“He was a warrior [on the court],” said Collins about Lowe last week. “He can definitely relate to the guys.”
Most importantly, Lowe was a winner, and that should translate to a Flames team looking to bust out after two mediocre seasons.
SCHEDULE UPDATE: The field for the Chicagoland Challenge Invitational was revealed as the University of Illinois released their 2006-07 schedule on Wednesday. The teams include UIC, Illinois, Bradley, Miami (Ohio), Rutgers, Florida A&M, Jackson State and Savannah State.
The Flames will play at Bradley on Nov. 19 and at Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 21 in the first two games of the tournament. Then they will play two games at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates on Nov. 24-25.
The UIC-Illinois contest is Dec. 9 at the United Center with the time to be announced. The game is being billed as the Lexus December to Remember Classic.
Also, Ole Miss announced their schedule on Wednesday with UIC traveling down to Oxford, Miss. on Dec. 19.
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