That is a big if and in this uncertain game played by only five men one bad recruit could blow the whole program up into ‘flames.’  Of course on the other hand one great coach who is willing to stay here and build this program ala Ray Meyer could put this program on the national map fairly easily.  The pieces are, for the most part, coming together for the team from the West Side with the recent invite from the Horizon for the Flames to join their league.  This was a huge upgrade for the Flames after their first year in D-1 was spent in prugatory er uh the Mid-Continent League.  The Mid-Continent or Summit now is not exactly the Big Ten but this program played well and finished a solid third behind the tutelge of a former Chicago prep coach who had recruited well for the future as he knows the Windy City well and has some great connectons here.  The future was looking bright for the Flames and their young coach. Or so we thought.  And then all hell broke loose.  This was not exactly an inferno but it did bring up the temperature of the fans and players for this team. You see Coach Tom Meyer was let loose by the administration.  That’s right, the man who had been there to help this school transition from the lower levels into D-1 was cast aside.  And the worst part was there was no real reason.  Sure, the Flames had not won many games since entering D-1, even in the lowly Mid-Continent conference.  But Meyer had recurited a fine group of players who showed at the end of last year they were gelling.  Now, this program starts again and as a biproduct DePaul cancelled their game with the Flames scheduled to be played at the UIC Pavilion.  This was the only game scheduled that was guaranteed to sellout the 9500 seat arena but now Chicago State will be coming in to play.  They will be lucky to fill up a third of the arena with the lowly Cougars instead of the mighty Blue Demons on the marquee.  You see folks, Tom Meyer is Ray’s son and he was quick to jump out of this game and quickly replaces the Flames with a team from another city that had a pretty major fire.  Yep, the Blue Demons will be playing the Dons of San Francisco in that early February contest.  Yep, Russell versus Mikan so the national audiences will get a great game and all because the UIC Flames made a late decision to ‘fire’ their coach.  Butterfly Effect for for UIC fans it is just another lost opportunity to give this team much needed publicity.  Hoepfully, the Blue Demons do come back and play the Flamers again but I do not think it will be why Ray is coaching there.  And he cannot coach there forever.  Can He? 

UIC is not predicted to compete for the conference title as the Midwestern Collegiate Conference becomes the Horizon League this season. There are some like the Flames coming aboard and joining this league that has quite the reputation for being to hang with elite teams.  Of course, with the addition of some of these new teams comes the subtraction of some good teams including the league powerhouse from Ohio as Dayton and Xavier left to join the A-10.  UIC will be replacing a good team but first things first here as they are replacing a pretty popular coach.  New Coach Gary Hallberg, who comes directly from Chicago State thus the game, does not have a cabinet full of talent with which to choose from but Meyer did not leave the cupbaord bare either.  Coming from lower Divisions and new to the Division One scene, the administration still wanted this fledgling program to jump into the ‘fire’ with some long standing and established programs in the new league.  The biggest issue for this program is that they are stuck in this new conference with much more experienced talent and it will hard keeping up with the Joneses and Butlers.   Hallberg really only has a small group of Upperclassmen he can count on to lead the way.  He has the unique combination of super quick guards and some rugged big men but wants his Flames to get up and down the court and take advantage of the three-point shot.  He has adopted one of the best passers (especially on the break) in the country but somebody has to get him the ball so this team can run.  A couple of juniors will handle most of the muscle work for the Flames.  Chuck Lambert and Greg Olsen are two of a kind.  Both love to play the physical game and will not give in to bigger opponents.  They have two more years of playing inside for this up and coming team.  Lambert is the starting center and has a solid low post game and can score.  He is great on the boards and will bully isnide with some solid power moves.  He loves contact and gets to the line often.  He may not be quite as big as some of the other centers in this league but he more than makes up for it with sheer force and being that immovable object we all hear about.  Olsen is not a catcher or a tight end but he is tough as hell and knows how to handle the inside game.  He is even more adept than Lambert at drawing contact and was a significant part of this team’s inside game.  Realistically the only difference in the two is that Lambert is a little tougher on the boards and just a tad bigger.  The third part of the front-line triumvirate is Sophomore Ivan Daniels.  He is bigger (six ten) than Olsen and Lambert but nowhere as good on the boards.  He does bring athleticism and plays more like a wing at times but Hallberg needs his size inside and this kid was solid off the bench throughout his first year.  Daniels, from Roselle, is probably the most underappreciated player on this team and will get more minutes this year as the team was just plain better when he is on the court.  Junior Bill Merchantz, a terrific free throw shooter, and Senior Marty Finerty are also in the mix but are long shots for playing time with the group of sophomores moving up from the JV and Meyer’s recurits.  Hallberg has five kids who are 6’8 or above who will battle for minutes behind the big three here.  Dave Williams is a 7’2 220 pound project from the Windy City who obviously has the most ‘upside’ but is also the greenest of the bunch.  Nathan Chambers is 6’9 and has the best shot of getting minutes but also has a ways to go.  He is a two way player though and can even run the court some.  Derrick Johnson, Brian ‘Pet Sounds’ Wilson and Darryl Rice are all 6’8 prospects who showed well last year splitting time on a good JV team.  None of these guys are going to make you forget Spencer Haywood but there are plenty of fouls to give when they do play the masterful 6’8 big man for the Titans and these boys are not afraid to use them.   

Sophomore point guard Craig ‘Cuby’ Lathen got plenty of minutes at the point and showed he can flat distribute the ball to his teammates for easy baskets.  This really gives the team a boost with a true point on the floor as the upperclass guards were more scorer than passers  Lathen loves to penetrate and dish.    Cubby Lathen is arguably the most talented point guard in the conference and averaged more assists per minute than any player in the Mid-Continent last year.   Fellow sophomore John Ellis and Tim Anderson will be competing to see who starts at the two.  Ellis are 6’2 and Anderson is 6’5 but both can score.  Neither is a great three point guy so Hallberg needs some shooters but they can get to the hoop and finish.  Seniors Larry Frey, Edward Koziol and Richard Czyz and junior George Demos are also in the mix but are nowhere near as athletic as Anderson and Ellis.  Frey is a combo guard who played often at point and will get minutes but the other three are in trouble if Hallberg’s new recruits can dribble and shoot. 

The team with the acronym which makes you think of a kid’s hide and seek game, the UIC Flames may be one of the better teams you have never heard of.  Stuck in the newly named Horizon League with some great programs hurts the young team as they are filled with undersized upperclassmen and underclassmen who are still wet behind the ears.   The kids are bringing some size and talent so there is hope the Flames will rise from the ashes of too many bottom half finishes in the old MWW.  New Coach Gary Hallberg has some players on campus now and all he needs is a little more shooting and most importantly some experience.  The West Side of Chicago might finally have something to do in the winter months besides rooting for pro teams if this team can become the Phoenix it is meant to be.