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Collins inks 3-year extension

Whoosh! photo Coach Jimmy Collins will be with the Flames for at least the next four seasons.

Head coach Jimmy Collins has signed a three-year extension to remain at UIC until the end of the 2011-12 season. For details, click on "News" on the left side of the page.

Also, Collins spoke about the past season and the future after UIC's loss to Butler at the Horizon League tournament. He said that he desires to coach for a few more years even though he is entering the final year of his contract. Also, there are updates on several former Flames, recruits, team awards, and the tentative 2008-09 schedule. For much more, check out "Archives."

Mayo and Scott VanderMeer were honored by the Horizon League in its postseason awards. For a complete rundown of the winners with an analysis, click here.

Please keep the NIU family in your prayers after the tragedy of Feb. 14, 2008.

For 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.

Also, the brand-new January print edition of Whoosh! magazine was available inside the Jan. 21 edition of the Chicago Flame newspaper around campus. Stories from both editions from the 2007-08 season will posted on-line in the near future.

Whoosh! photo Anthony Smith, 1983-2008 Loyola University and the Horizon League lost a member of the extended family when former Rambler Anthony Smith passed away from acute leukemia on Monday, Jan. 28, 2008, one day before his 25th birthday.

For other game stories (including the Paradise Jam and the victories over DePaul and Bradley and the Horizon League tournament), news (including the BracketBuster announcement), features, commentaries, photo galleries (including Senior Night), plus recent news on Spencer Stewart, Josh Mayo, Tori Boyd, Scott VanderMeer, Jovan Ignjatovic, Kris Harris, Karl White Jr., Justin Bowen, Cedrick Banks, Armond Williams, Mike King, Alok Aiyar, Othyus Jeffers, T.J. Gray and other players and coaches past and present, recruiting and a history of the team dating back to 1999, click on "Archives" on the left side of the page.

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! stories from the November print edition up on the web. (As well, as the current print edition!)

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.

UIC coach Jimmy Collins spoke at length over the summer about his surgery, his health, his time off and the trials and tribulations of last season in a series of interviews. Collins shares his story with Whoosh!, plus talks about the 2007-08 Flames squad, who's back, who's not, who's new and who could surprise. For all of the details, click here.

Landmark victory The scoreboard at Allstate Arena on Saturday, Dec. 15 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 January mid-season edition of the print Whoosh! magazine is now available in the Jan. 21, 2008 edition of the Chicago Flame, which is available on campus and in neighborhood establishments. Copies will be available at the UIC Pavilion during upcoming home games. The issue takes a look at the chemistry of the current Flames and the influence that Josh Mayo, Jeremy Buttell, Scott VanderMeer and Spencer Stewart have on the team. There's also a look at three key players that will be important down the stretch and retrospective on the 1997-98 team that was UIC's first-ever NCAA tournament squad. Coach Jimmy Collins is featured in the usual Coach's Corner Q & A. Stories will be posted soon.

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. After playing the 2006-07 season with French Pro-A team Nancy, Banks is now in Israel, playing for 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