#HLWBB Preview: UIC

October 30

Joey Yashinsky

UIC Flames

Last year: 6-25 overall, 2-16 Horizon League

Coach: Regina Miller (7th year)

Team Preview
By Joey Yashinsky, Horizon League Contributor

“It’s not how you start, but how you finish.”

Those were the words of UIC coach Regina Miller at Horizon League media day as this 2017-18 season approached. The Flames were picked to finish last in the conference after last year’s bumpy ride to a 2-16 conference mark. But Miller has some quality talent returning to Chicago and they are out to prove the doubters wrong.

They will be led by a pair of 5-foot-9 juniors in Brittany Byrd and Taylor Toney.

Byrd is a dangerous catch-and-shoot player that can also create her own opportunity. She led last year’s club in both points and rebounds.

Toney had plenty of highlights herself, including a dynamic 25 point, 10 rebound performance in a losing effort to powerhouse Wright State during Motor City Madness. Coach Miller has mentioned that with UIC’s guard-heavy roster, Toney could wind up playing some power forward, thus creating mismatch problems for opposing defenses.

The paint area will be patrolled by senior Gabryelle Johnson. At 6-foot-1, she alters countless shots each game, something that does not go unnoticed from her head coach.

“Gabby is one of those players that all teams need,” Miller said. “She does a little bit of everything. She gets on the floor for loose balls. Makes all the hustle plays. Takes charges.”

One of the main challenges facing the Flames this season will be replacing program mainstays Terri Bender and Melita Emanuel-Carr. Bender’s absence in particular will be felt, as she was a four-year starter, a 1,000 point scorer, and the Flames’ all-time leader in assists.

That vacancy at point guard could be filled, at least in part, by multi-talented freshman Abreanna Lake. With UIC’s roster possessing five freshmen, it’s not a stretch to say that a rookie such as Lake could come aboard and join the starting unit immediately.

Improvement for the Flames may also be found in the play of redshirt senior Teadora Zagorac. The 6-foot-3 native of Serbia has proven capable of being a force on the inside and wants to take on a heavier load in her final season.

A statistical oddity at the free throw line made things difficult for UIC last year. The team’s top two scorers, Byrd and Toney, shot just 45% and 53% from the stripe. In order for Miller’s crew to keep games tight entering the final quarter, they’ll need their two main scoring threats to convert free throws at a higher clip throughout the game.

The UIC Flames have finished 10th place in the Horizon League each of the last two years, but they also are not far removed from significant on-court success. As recently as 2014, Miller guided the Flames to a sparkling 26-9 record and a post-season championship in the Women’s Basketball Invitational. And Miller is no stranger to winning big games; this will be her 23rd year as a head coach at the Division-I level.

The contributions from stalwarts like Bender and Emanuel-Carr will be missed, but there is still a promising blend of returning talent in Byrd, Toney, Johnson, and Zagorac. With an exciting batch of five freshmen being added to the mix, including Lake (the squad’s first Californian since 2003), it would be no surprise to see the Flames blasting up the heat this winter and starting that climb back toward the upper half of the Horizon League standings.

Motor City Madness

Support the Flames at the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Basketball Championships March 2-6 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Tickets can be purchased at campus box offices now and online starting December 15. For more information, click here.

#HLWBB Preview Schedule (10 am ET)

10/30/2017	UIC
10/31/2017	Northern Kentucky
11/1/2017	Youngstown State
11/2/2017	IUPUI
11/3/2017	Cleveland State
11/6/2017	Detroit Mercy
11/7/2017	Milwaukee
11/8/2017	Oakland
11/9/2017	Wright State
11/10/2017	Green Bay
11/13/2017	#HLWBB Preview

#HLMBB Preview Schedule (2 pm ET)

10/30/2017	IUPUI
10/31/2017	Cleveland State
11/1/2017	Milwaukee
11/2/2017	Youngstown State
11/3/2017	Green Bay
11/6/2017	Wright State
11/7/2017	Detroit Mercy
11/8/2017	UIC
11/9/2017	Northern Kentucky
11/10/2017	Oakland
11/13/2017	#HLMBB Preview