2024–25 UIC Flames men's basketball team

2024–25 UIC Flames men's basketball
2024–25 UIC Flames men's basketball
Conference	Missouri Valley Conference
Record	4–3 (0–0 MVC)
Head coach	Rob Ehsan (1st season);
Associate head coach	Kevin Devitt (1st season)
Assistant coaches	Johnny Hill (1st season); David Berkun (1st season); Ryan Davis (1st season); Jaime Smith (1st season);
Home arena	Credit Union 1 Arena
	Seasons ← 2023–24 2025–26 ⊟

2024–25 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Bradley	1	–	0	1.000	8	–	1	.889
Murray State	1	–	0	1.000	5	–	2	.714
Drake	0	–	0	–	7	–	0	1.000
Belmont	0	–	0	–	6	–	2	.750
Missouri State	0	–	0	–	5	–	3	.625
UIC	0	–	0	–	5	–	3	.625
Illinois State	0	–	0	–	4	–	3	.571
Valparaiso	0	–	0	–	4	–	3	.571
Indiana State	0	–	0	–	5	–	4	.556
Northern Iowa	0	–	0	–	3	–	4	.429
Evansville	0	–	1	.000	3	–	5	.375
Southern Illinois	0	–	1	.000	3	–	6	.333

† 2025 MVC tournament winner As of December 3, 2024

The 2024–25 UIC Flames men's basketball team represents the University of Illinois Chicago during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Flames, led by first-year head coach Rob Ehsan, play their home games at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Previous season

The Flames finished the 2023–24 season 12–21, 4–16 in MVC play to finish in eleventh place.^[1] They defeated Southern Illinois,^[2] before losing to Bradley in the quarterfinals of the MVC tournament.^[3]

On March 10, 2024, the school announced the firing of head coach Luke Yaklich, ending his four-year tenure at the helm.^[4] On April 1, the school announced that Stanford assistant Rob Ehsan would be named Yaklich's successor.^[5]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Drew King	0	G	6'3"	189	Sophomore	Phoenix, Arizona	Transferred to Elon
Isaiah Rivera	1	G	6'5"	210	Senior	Geneseo, Illinois	Transferred to DePaul
Steven Clay	2	G	6'4"	185	Sophomore	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Transferred to Morehead State
CJ Jones	3	G	6'5"	195	Sophomore	East St. Louis, Illinois	Transferred to Kansas State
Toby Okani	5	G	6'8"	210	Senior	Orange, New Jersey	Transferred to West Virginia
Ethyn Brown	10	G	5'11"	185	Sophomore	Belleville, Illinois	Transferred to Quincy
Nathan Ojukwu	13	F	6'6"	215	Freshman	Boise, Idaho	Transferred to Northwest Florida State
Marquise Kennedy	14	G	6'1"	190	Graduate student	Chicago, Illinois	Exhausted eligibility
Griffin Yaklich	15	G	6'6"	210	Senior	Joliet, Illinois	Transferred to Roosevelt
Yusef Salih	23	G	6'2"	192	Junior	Gainesville, Virginia	Transferred to East Texas A&M
Jaden Brownell	33	F	6'9"	230	RS Sophomore	Sandy, Utah	Transferred to Samford
Cameron Fens	54	C	6'10"	255	Sophomore	Dubuque, Iowa	Transferred to South Dakota

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Ahmad Henderson II	0	G	5'9"	155	Sophomore	Chicago, Illinois	Niagara
Jordan Mason	2	G	6'4"	175	Junior	San Antonio, Texas	Texas State
Modestas Kancleris	5	F	6'9"	205	RS Senior	Kaunas, Lithuania	Cal State Bakersfield
Tyem Freeman	8	G	6'5"	205	Graduate student	Springfield, Missouri	Kent State
Koby Jeffries	9	G	6'3"	195	RS Senior	Olive Branch, Mississippi	UT Martin
Saša Ciani	21	F	6'9"	240	Sophomore	Nova Gorica, Slovenia	Xavier
Javon Jackson	22	G	6'3"	190	Junior	Houston, Texas	Utah State
Joshua Reaves	23	G	6'4"	205	Graduate student	Hamden, Connecticut	Mount St. Mary's

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight
Jayce Nathaniel F	Buford, Georgia	AZ Compass Prep	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	200 lb (91 kg)
Jayce Nathaniel F	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A
Carlos Harris III G	Chicago, Illinois	Curie High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)
Carlos Harris III G	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A
Iker Garmendia F	Barcelona, Spain	Joventut Badalona	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	190 lb (86 kg)
Iker Garmendia F	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2024–25 UIC Flames men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Ahmad Henderson II	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	So	Niagara	Chicago, Illinois
F	1	Jayce Nathaniel	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	AZ Compass Prep	Buford, Georgia
G	2	Jordan Mason	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jr	Texas State	San Antonio, Texas
G	3	Carlos Harris III	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fr	Curie High School	Chicago, Illinois
G	4	Ethan Pickett	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Sr	Triton College	Pensacola, Florida
F	5	Modestas Kancleris	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS Sr	Cal State Bakersfield	Kaunas, Lithuania
G	6	Khaled Khaled	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	RS Fr	Reavis High School	Burbank, Illinois
G	8	Tyem Freeman	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	GS	Kent State	Springfield, Missouri
G	9	Koby Jeffries	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS Sr	UT Martin	Olive Branch, Mississippi
F	14	Iker Garmendia	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Joventut Badalona	Barcelona, Spain
F	21	Saša Ciani	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	So	Xavier	Nova Gorica, Slovenia
G	22	Javon Jackson	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jr	Utah State	Houston, Texas
G	23	Joshua Reaves	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	GS	Mount St. Mary's	Hamden, Connecticut
G	34	Grant Welch	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	So	Moline High School	Moline, Illinois
F	50	Filip Skobalj	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Sr	Don Bosco-Schule Rostock	Belgrade, Serbia

Head coach

Rob Ehsan (UC Davis)

Assistant coach(es)

Kevin Devitt (DePaul)
Johnny Hill (UT Arlington)
David Berkun (VCU)
Ryan Davis (Chicago)
Jaime Smith (Alabama–Huntsville)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: November 24, 2024

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 30, 2024* 4:00 pm, ESPN	Aurora Exhibition game	W 91–76		– -	– -	– -	Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
Regular season
November 4, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN	St. Francis (IL)	W 91–43	1–0	21 – Jackson	11 – Kancleris	5 – Henderson II	Credit Union 1 Arena (863) Chicago, IL
November 8, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN	Yale	W 91–79	2–0	19 – Freeman	11 – Ciani	7 – Henderson II	Credit Union 1 Arena (3,102) Chicago, IL
November 12, 2024* 6:00 pm, BTN	at Northwestern	L 74–83	2–1	17 – Jackson	8 – Tied	4 – Tied	Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,492) Evanston, IL
November 16, 2024* 12:00 pm, ESPN	Saint Mary's (MN)	W 117–59	3–1	21 – Reaves	9 – Kancleris	10 – Jackson	Credit Union 1 Arena (664) Chicago, IL
November 21, 2024* 10:00 am, BallerTV	vs. James Madison Boardwalk Battle quarterfinals	L 81–99	3–2	17 – Henderson II	9 – Ciani	4 – Henderson II	Ocean Center (386) Daytona Beach, FL
November 22, 2024* 10:00 am, BallerTV	vs. La Salle Boardwalk Battle consolation round	W 96–83	4–2	19 – Skobalj	11 – Ciani	4 – Jackson	Ocean Center Daytona Beach, FL
November 23, 2024* 12:00 pm, BallerTV	vs. East Carolina Boardwalk Battle 5th place game	L 55–72	4–3	10 – Tied	8 – Ciani	6 – Jackson	Ocean Center Daytona Beach, FL
December 4, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN	Northern Iowa						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
December 8, 2024* 4:00 pm, ESPN	Dartmouth						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
December 15, 2024* 1:00 pm, ESPN	at Little Rock						Jack Stephens Center Little Rock, AR
December 20, 2024* 4:00 pm, ESPN	at Seattle						Redhawk Center Seattle, WA
December 29, 2024 4:00 pm, Marquee/ESPN	at Illinois State						CEFCU Arena Normal, IL
January 1, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN	Drake						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
January 4, 2025 4:00 pm, ESPN	at Belmont						Curb Event Center Nashville, TN
January 7, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN	at Missouri State						Great Southern Bank Arena Springfield, MO
January 11, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN	Bradley						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
January 15, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN	Murray State						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
January 18, 2025 ESPN	at Valparaiso						Athletics–Recreation Center Valparaiso, IN
January 22, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN	at Evansville						Ford Center Evansville, IN
January 25, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN	Southern Illinois						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
January 29, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN	at Bradley						Carver Arena Peoria, IL
February 1, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN	Indiana State						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
February 5, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN	Illinois State						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
February 8, 2025 ESPN	at Southern Illinois						Banterra Center Carbondale, IL
February 11, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN	at Murray State						CFSB Center Murray, KY
February 16, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN	Missouri State						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
February 19, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN	at Drake						Knapp Center Des Moines, IA
February 22, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN	Evansville						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
February 26, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN	at Northern Iowa						McLeod Center Cedar Falls, IA
March 2, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN	Valparaiso						Credit Union 1 Arena Chicago, IL
MVC tournament
March 6–9, 2025 ESPN /CBSSN	vs.						Enterprise Center St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central.

Sources:^[6]^[7]

References

^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". Missouri Valley Conference. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
^ "UIC outlasts Southern Illinois 84-82 in OT in Missouri Valley Conference Tournament opener". AP News. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
^ "Hickman has 20, Bradley defeats UIC 74-47 in MVC quarterfinal". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
^ "Illinois-Chicago basketball fires head coach Luke Yaklich". FOX 32 Chicago. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
^ "University of Illinois Chicago names Rob Ehsan as new men's basketball head coach". CBS Chicago. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". UIC Athletics. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
^ "UIC Flames 2024-25 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 24, 2024.

[1] "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". Missouri Valley Conference. Retrieved November 24, 2024.

[2] "UIC outlasts Southern Illinois 84-82 in OT in Missouri Valley Conference Tournament opener". AP News. Retrieved November 24, 2024.

[3] "Hickman has 20, Bradley defeats UIC 74-47 in MVC quarterfinal". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 24, 2024.

[4] "Illinois-Chicago basketball fires head coach Luke Yaklich". FOX 32 Chicago. Retrieved November 24, 2024.

[5] "University of Illinois Chicago names Rob Ehsan as new men's basketball head coach". CBS Chicago. Retrieved November 24, 2024.

[6] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". UIC Athletics. Retrieved November 24, 2024.

[7] "UIC Flames 2024-25 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 24, 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t e UIC Flames men's basketball
Venues	Men's Gymnasium (1947–1965) UIC Physical Education Building (1965–1982) Credit Union 1 Arena (1982–present)
Culture & lore	Sparky D. Dragon "Fire Up Flames"
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25