December 4, 2009, 2:58 p.m.

Woe is the Flames' offense. The difficult transition continued last night in Milwaukee with some numbers that aren't really worth repeating.

Fact of the matter is, it is a game the Flames should have won with a couple of smarter plays or another possession with better execution.

Robo Kreps shot just 4-for-17 and hasn't been able to get into a good rhythm. Good news is point guard Spencer Stewart is about to rejoin the team in game action on Saturday night, which should definitely help the offense settle down a little.

I was just thinking about what happened a year ago yesterday. That was when UIC won at Vanderbilt 74-55. Most will remember Josh Mayo's 30 points and eight three-pointers, but it was the secondary effort of Kreps that put the icing on the victory.

Robo scored 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting, displaying a confidence we all know that he has deep down inside. It won't be long until we see a stretch of great games by Robo once he starts hitting with consistency. And with Spence back in the lineup, Robo's shots will come easier and Spence will deliver the ball when needed.

In the first five games, UIC basically played without a true point guard. The Flames won once, lost two close games and played reasonably well at SIU for 35 minutes.

In welcoming back Stewart, the Flames will welcome back a better offensive flow.

November 15, 2009, 5:41 p.m.

Take a breath! AHHHHHHHHH!

It was refreshing afternoon as the Flames looked much better in their season opener against UIS.

Sure, people will say it's a struggling UIS club, and that's probably true. But at the same time, it was a very positive day for the Flames.

It was a satisfying victory depsite absences of Jeremy Buttell and Kris Harris for one game and the prolonged absences of Spencer Stewart and Jelani Poston.

Robo Kreps didn't have his best shooting game, but he did prove that he can be a huge asset to the Flames when his shot is not falling with his seven rebounds and six assists. He also dove on the floor to make a steal, exemplifying UIC's heart and hustle. Like it was said before, "talent isn't necessary to play with effort." It was great to see.

Charges were taken. Guys hit the floor. Guys like Dipanjot Singh, who is quickly becoming a crowd favorite, hustled. The big man, K.C. Robbins, ran the floor beautifully on a second-half fastbreak and got rewarded with a layup.

Again, regardless of the Flames' "talent," they can be a good team with effort like this, possibly even better than "good."

The most encouraging aspect of Saturday's win was the play of Zavion Neely. Z had the best game of his career, mixing his trademark drives to the basket with a much-improved jumper. People familiar with Z's game from high school said he wasn't a good shooter, but Neely proved that hard work can help as he looked very smooth.

The Flames had another player that had the reputation of being a driver in high school but became an excellent jump shooter at the college level. That guy's name? Cedrick Banks. I'm not saying, "Let's put Z on the same pedestal as Ced," but at least, there's a little bit of a similiarity. However, Z will continue to be important as a penetrator.

I had a brief chance to see and speak to former Flame Tori Boyd during halftime. He says he is doing well. He is studying sociology and photography at UIC and had his nice camera with him at courtside. Tori emphasized that his concussions did not influence his departure from the team.

Finally, there have been some rumblings that Spencer's suspension will be lifted soon. There hasn't been anything close to official about it, but it sounds like Stewart will be returning to the Flames sooner than later.

November 11, 2009, 3:51 a.m.

Well, that wasn't pretty. Hopefully, Tuesday night's 65-55 exhibition loss to Lewis isn't too much of portent of things to come for the 2009-10 UIC Flames.

One thing's for sure: The Flames miss point guard Spencer Stewart. The offense never really got into a rhythm when the game was on the line. UIC also missed Stewart's on-court leadership.

It was also a terrible night for Robo Kreps and Jeremy Buttell. The two top returning players combined to shoot 1-for-15. We need much better to have a chance this season and both of those guys would admit the same. Robo will hit his stride at some point, while Jeremy must step up his offense and soon.

There were a few positives, though. Freshman center Louis Green was active and provided 10 points and eight rebounds. He also showed a little fire at the end of the game by banging on the scorer's table after going through the handshake line. At least, we know Green is used to winning, coming from a traditional powerhouse high school program in St. Joseph of Westchester.

We also saw some good play and potential from Kris Harris, Zavion Neely and Anthony Kelley. Those three will be key role players this season.

However, the team needs to get tougher. Being out-rebounded 44-33 was not a good sign. We can say that it was just an exhibition game and things will get better, but talent isn't necessary to play with effort.

Finally, overheard were two disturbing things. Firstly, the Flames "lost" their closed scrimmage a couple of weeks ago by 23 points to Chicago State. Secondly, Lewis coaches were overheard saying: "We should have won this game by 25."

July 8, 2009, 9:10 p.m.

Many apologies to those UIC fans and supporters out there. It's been a hectic few months. After a long season, Whoosh! took a bit of a much-needed break to "rekindle the Flames."

I'm just about ready to post some updates from the past few months. Most of the news you have seen elsewhere, but the new story serves as sort of a "catching up." Admittedly, seeing the non-conference opponents being released was nice impetus to give the site a little update.

Within the next few weeks, I'm hoping to speak with Coach Collins about the team and the upcoming season. Meanwhile, I will brainstorming some new features for the site and hope to get them implemented at some point.

I stopped "blogging" a while back just because it was taking too much of my time. I hope to do it more consistently in the future, but the main focus will be to offer updates, features and game stories. Thanks for your patience.

December 31, 2008, 4:10 a.m.

What a letdown. I said that last night's game against Milwaukee was a should-win and a must-win. Now, with a loss to a squad many picked to be mid-level team and at home, no less, the Flames are fighting an uphill battle in the Horizon League as coach Jimmy Collins put it.

Not having intensity against a conference opponent? A bad thing, a very bad thing, especially given the talent and veteran leadership this Flames team possesses.

This was NOT the same UIC team that went, undaunted, into Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech and laid the smack down on those "BCS" foes.

This is a much better team than what was displayed on Tuesday night. Give Milwaukee credit. The Panthers took advantage of some flaws in the Flames and rode to a victory. Nice job, Rob Jeter.

BUT ... C'mon Flames!!! This is a team I fully expected to win AT LEAST 20 games, and do it in style. There can't be letdowns or lethargy, especially after a week off and in a conference game.

Scott VanderMeer was on his way to a career game in the scoring column when the touches suddenly decreased midway through the second half.

Offensively, VanderMeer had the advantage over any and all Panthers. He needed the ball, but he didn't get it. VanderMeer did not score in the final 13 minutes after racking up 16 points.

The best way to beat a zone is to attack the basket, or at least TRY. The guards couldn't knock down looks from the perimeter with consistency and the big men (esp. VanderMeer) did not get many looks.

On the other side, giving up 13 threes is inexcusable. Milwaukee hit six three-pointers and two free throws in the first 10 minutes of the second half and DID NOT record a single two-point field goal until there was 9:35 left.

The Panthers didn't really try to go inside in those 10 minutes and yet, UIC still allowed a barrage of open three-pointers. Sounds like the Butler game last season, where I believe the Bulldogs had just 10 two-point field-goal ATTEMPTS for the entire game!

This UIC team still has time to be pretty special, but another loss like this, and the window begins to close. Green Bay has three-point shooters in Ryan Tillema, who always seems to kill the Flames at least once per season, Troy Cotton and Mike Schachtner. Let's focus on stopping the three and let Scotty and the big guys handle the dirty work if they dare to drive.

I would rather give up five two-point baskets than five wide-open threes. Simple arithmetic. That's just an opinion.

One person who probably got lost in the whole hubbub about lack of intensity on Tuesday night was Jeremy Buttell, who turned in a solid effort of 10 points, inclduing two threes, and eight boards.

Now on to the bigger and better things starting with the Phoenix on Saturday night. Go Flames!

December 30, 2008, 3:50 a.m.

UIC is 8-3 as it re-enters conference play Tuesday night against Horizon League rival Milwaukee. Things are looking good for the Flames as they shoot for their best December record since 1997 when they were on their way to the NCAA tournament.

Josh Mayo has scuffled a bit with his shooting touch over the past couple of games, but a week of rest and the return to the Pavilion should do the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year plenty of good. Hopefully, point guard Spencer Stewart continues to provide an offensive boost like he did in the Toledo game.

Milwaukee should be a decent challenge for the Flames. The Panthers have an interesting mix of veterans and newcomers. For UIC, however, it's a must-win and a should-win game, given the talent and experience of the Flames.

For those who can't make it for the 7 p.m. tipoff on the West side, the game will be televised on Lakeshore Public TV and will be available on the Horizon League Network, ESPN Full Court and ESPN360. Audio will also be on uicflames.com.

December 15, 2008, 4:30 a.m.

Those "Holy Sh*ts" you heard were coming out of the mouths of coaches around the Horizon League.

Yes, UIC has now defeated both Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech ON THE ROAD! Yes, ON THE ROAD. No token home game, not on an island or in a special weekend tournament at a neutral site, nothing like that. In front of partisan fans with the opponent's conference refs.

Great to see the Flames at 6-2 with an RPI in the top 60. Everybody who was already crowning Butler as Horizon League champion can come down to earth now. There will be a fight for the title this season.

Congratulations to coach Jimmy Collins on his 200th victory. What a place for a milestone victory! Now, we need for Coach C to get his first NCAA tournament victory. Here's hoping it comes this March.

Awesome clutch play from Jeremy Buttell. Now, hopefully, he will some more consistent PT.

And give a lot of credit to Josh Mayo. Sure, he didn't have his monster scoring game, but his seven assists are a testament of Josh being a team player and knowing that if his shot isn't falling, he will trust a teammate to hit a shot. He assisted on the Buttell game-winning three.

How about Scott VanderMeer? Big Scotty V picked up his intensity in the second half and is proving that he will be a force in the Horizon League this season. Do NOT be surprised to see two First-Team All-Horizon players from the Flames.

Anyway, on to Lewis. It's a game where the Flames CAN NOT let down, because Lewis is a quality Division II team.

December 4, 2008, 5:20 a.m.

Congratulations to the Flames, coach Jimmy Collins, Josh Mayo, Robo Kreps, Scotty V and everyone else that made Wednesday's victory at Vanderbilt happen. Let's not forget the inspired play of Kris Harris. Hat's off to Mr. Harris.

Now, that's the Flame team we'd all like to see for the rest of the season. I knew they had this potential, but finally it rises--in a hostile environment of a SEC arena, no less. Just absolutely amazing.

Now on it's onto Horizon League play with Loyola on Saturday night. Go Flames!

November 30, 2008, 4:05 a.m.

We're five games into the season and it seems like coach Collins is already tightening up his rotation. It's basically six guys getting the bulk of the minutes (Josh Mayo, Spencer Stewart, Robo Kreps, Scott VanderMeer, Rob Eppinger and Tori Boyd) with a few other guys getting spot time.

It will be interesting to see if Collins keeps this up. Remember the 1997-98 season. That was when Collins used a 6-man rotation of Bryant Lowe, Mark Miller, Anthony Coomes, Konstantine Stavropoulos, Cliffton Flagg and Theandre Kimbrough getting the bulk of the time. Jason Ayers, Anton Collins and Thor Solverson received spot minutes.

Remember, too, those Flames went 22-6 and made the NCAA tournament. Maybe less is more, but I wouldn't mind seeing a couple of other guys get some more minutes too. However, at the end of the day, if it works, you gotta stay with it.

One of the few quibbles I have with these Flames is in the last two games, they've had to overcame sluggish first halves. They can't afford to be sluggish at all at Vanderbilt on Wednesday night.

The Horizon League teams have played just a few games so far, but the Flames, even at 3-2, look pretty good to me. Butler again is off to a great start at 5-0, but their competition hasn't been too tough considering Big Ten doormat Northwestern was their toughest game. After that, I'm not seeing too many teams looking all that great right now. Wright State, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Loyola and Youngstown State all have ugly losses of some sort on their record, and Valpo struggled at the Paradise Jam (they do have some injury issues, however). We'll see if anything changes when conference play starts this week.

November 16, 2008, 3:40 a.m.

It's good thing that I didn't come out and say that the Flames were going to start 5-0.

Wait a minute, I just did. In retrospect, I believed Bradley was going to be the toughest of the Flames' first five opponents, so I'm going to amend slightly and say that I still see a 4-1 start.

Now, if any of the players are reading this, let's not look past Northern Iowa on Wednesday night.

Anyway, some thoughts from Peoria. Two guys that played their butts off: Josh Mayo and Robo Kreps.

No matter the score or opponent, you can expect top-line effort from these two every night. Even when Mayo was swarmed by the Bradley defense, he found open guys. The team-leading five assists point to that.

As for the gentleman, I assume it was a gentleman, on the UICHoops.com message board, he was way off base on Robo. He's one of the most fundamentally sound players I've ever seen at UIC. I think that comes from playing on a small town high school team that lacked serious height.

I also thought that Scotty V, Jeremy Buttell and Iggy all did well at times, too. And, yeah, Iggy, another charge taken! That doesn't go unnoticed.

The best way to sum up Coach Collins' postgame comments: It's a like he's a disappointed father, knowing that his team is better than it showed. You know, like you're a teenager and your dad comes up because you blew curfew: "Son, I know you're better than that."

I think that Coach C sees a lot in this team. He probably won't say it, but this team is probably the best since 2003-04. He doesn't want to put that type of pressure on them, but at the same time, he realizes that this UIC team can get to the Big Dance.

This will be a big week for the Flames. I see some good news and some wins on the horizon. And before anybody gets down on our Flames, just look at what happened to Loyola and be very, very thankful.

November 12, 2008, 4:50 a.m.

Thoughts from the win over Aurora:

Tori Boyd looked great--for the most part. He was terrific on the offensive end and showed some great hustle for loose balls. He did have some lapses in the first half on defense against the three-point shot as did most of the most starting unit. But, so far, Tori is showing that he has the potential to be a difference maker.

Other solid performances included Chris Buchanan, Kris Harris and Zavion Neely. For three newcomers, and especially a freshman in Neely, these guys looked pretty comfortable. Let's hope it continues in Peoria.

How about Iggy? Jovan Ignjatovic had the best game of his UIC career (though, it was an exhibition). I love his attitude and work ethic. And, he's not afraid to get dirty and take a charge.

Here's hoping that a quiet Josh Mayo against Aurora means a Josh Mayo that will quiet the crowd in Peoria on Friday.

Big thumbs up for the Pavilion improvements. It's about time we got a video scoreboard!

October 27, 2008, 11:35 p.m.

There are quite a few things stirring as the Flames are preparing for the regular season, which starts in just over two weeks time.

Whoosh! learned Monday that walk-on guard Josh Anderson has left the University for personal reasons. Also, walk-on Alex Tkaczuk also decided to leave the team after last Saturday's scrimmage. So the UIC roster now stands at 15 players.

Associate head coach Mark Coomes announced that he will retire at the end of the school year. Whoosh! will post much more in the next few days.

We are currently busy with putting together the season-preview edition of the print Whoosh! magazine, which will be around campus next week and available at home games soon thereafter.

The hope is to have a little bit more of an update on a few things on the site later this week. Stay tuned!

September 17, 2008, 6:15 a.m.

With the news of Louis Green's oral commitment, it sounds like Jimmy Collins and company are looking to maintain a dominant presence in the middle once Scott VanderMeer completes his career. There have been conflicting reports/opinions on Louis, but at least he still has his senior year at St. Joseph and four full years at UIC. There's plenty of time for him to develop.

The 2008-09 schedule is likely to be released sometime today. There are no major surprises since our last reports.

However, the best "new" news about this schedule is the chance to shine on national TV. There could be at least three regular-season Flames games on the ESPN family of networks along with the opportunity to be featured in BracketBuster and the Horizon League semifinals and championship depending on how good these Flames really are.

By the way, we're still working on our other stories on the alumni players. The plan is still to feature at least two alumni within the next couple of weeks.

August 26, 2008

It doesn’t look all that special right now, but it’s time for Whoosh! to enter the blogging universe. Here we hope to provide more snippets of news and analysis on a more frequent basis without requiring a full-blown story.

So every so often, we’ll be dropping updates, starting with this one.

The 2008-09 UIC schedule is close to being finalized. There’s just a few more I’s to dot and T’s to cross before it’s done and announced. In the marquee home game, the Flames will host DePaul at the Pavilion on Saturday, Nov. 22.

By the time the schedule is done, it could show games with the SEC, ACC, Big East and a few with the Missouri Valley. It should be a challenging slate to say the least.

One team that won’t be on the final schedule is Akron. Apparently, according reports coming out of Akron, the Flames didn’t want to play another road game this season, so the series has been postponed until next year where the Zips will host the Flames.

Coach Collins, in a recent interview with Whoosh!, couldn’t stop beaming about his sophomores, Tori Boyd and Robo Kreps. Expect some big things out of these superb sophs.

Just in case you didn’t notice, the UIC roster now lists Kreps as “Robo Kreps” as that’s how he prefers it. UIC’s SID John Jaramillo likens it to Illinois QB Juice Williams.

Speaking of UIC athletic administration, there will be a campaign to get the media to refer to the team as “UIC.” There are way too many references to Illinois-Chicago, IL-Chicago, UI-Chicago, Ill.-Chicago, Ill.-Chi. and the like.

Word is that the new “ribbon” scoreboard, which will form a horseshoe at the Pavilion, looks great.

Congratulations to Cedrick Banks, who will return to play in France this fall. Agent Mike Naiditch said Banks has signed with Entente Orleanaise Loiret, a Pro A team, after spending last season in Israel.

Also, a hearty congratulations to Kevin Mondro, the long-time assistant at Detroit who ended up finishing Perry Watson’s tenure at the school as interim coach. Mondro, an excellent tactician, has landed an assistant’s job at Loyola under Jim Whitesell.

Finally, we’re working on stories catching up with Jovan Stefanov and Justin Bowen, and hope to post them soon.

Go Flames!