Throughout the season, Michael Raines will be profiling programs and student-athletes in the Horizon League. Today, he looks at Howard Moore's UIC basketball program.
CHICAGO – The first postseason win in school history is a pretty good start.
Eighteen wins are nice, too – the most since 2007-08. But the UIC Flames are ready for more.
“Having a little bit of success should breed to desire to have even more success,” head coach Howard Moore said at the Horizon League men’s basketball media day. “We want to make that the standard: that we are playing in deep March, that we’re always in the chase for a conference championship [and] that we have a quality non-conference season that will get us ready for a strong conference run. Having some success last year just breeds a little bit of anticipation and expectation for more success.”
Moore and his staff will be looking to a trio of seniors to provide leadership during the quest for more success: Hayden Humes, Marc Brown and Purdue transfer Kelsey Barlow, who was ineligible for competition last season but practiced with the Flames.
“We’re going to really lean on those guys to be good leaders, to put us in position to be successful every night,” Moore said. “We need them to lead in practice, to be good voices and be good mentors [aside from] the coaches. We put a lot of responsibility in these guys’ hands.”
Now in his fourth year at the helm, Moore has built the team to his specifications, recruiting near and far for the kind of players he sees fit for UIC.
“I think we’ve talked about it from Day 1, that you have to be patient with the development of the program. We’ve been taking the proper steps – maybe not perfect, but I think we’ve tried to do the right things, bringing in quality young men that have good character,” Moore said. “Work ethic is important, understanding the responsibility of being a student-athlete on and off the court. I think our guys really accept that responsibility.
“Being a principle-based program, I think they really buy into the principles that we teach on a daily basis both as men and as basketball players. With that in mind, I think our guys really embrace what our program is about. Our recruiting [philosophy] is to under-promise and over-deliver.”
At the same time Moore has been improving the men’s basketball team, UIC has also been improving the university itself. The campus upgrades are just another tool Moore uses to attract young players who, Moore believes, sometimes have misconceptions about the Chicago school.
“We have recruits come on campus, and it’s been a very positive response,” Moore said. “When they come on campus they see the things that we’ve done and the enhancements that the university has made to campus.
“Even Chicagoans are shocked by how beautiful our campus is. I think we get this stigma and this perception that being an urban school, it’s a little rough around the edges, but I think they’re pleasantly surprised.”
Now, Moore hopes to show those Chicagoans – and everyone else – just how good college basketball in the Windy City can be. And with the exit of the Ramblers, UIC is the Horizon League’s lone ambassador in the city.
“It doesn’t affect us one bit,” said of Loyola’s departure. “We’ll continue to play a series with them that I think is important as a city rivalry. I think it’s important for Chicago to have that college basketball rivalry and I think [Ramblers head coach] Porter [Moser] feels the same way.
“But as far as the Horizon League is concerned, we feel very proud and very confident that we are the Chicago representative. We feel a responsibility to do our best to give a good showing and with that responsibility, we want to enhance the profile of our league and we want to enhance the profile of UIC in this market. We’re excited about the opportunity to be the only Horizon League team in Chicago. We think it’s great.”
A beautiful urban campus. An 18-win season. A postseason win. A roster built just the way Moore wants it. The Flames head coach has a lot going his way these days – and so does his team.
“We’ve got a lot to offer. We’ve had a little success – it’s nowhere near where I envision us being. I wouldn’t be earning my paycheck if I didn’t say the goal was to get to the NCAA Tournament,” Moore said. “These guys are bought in. I don’t have to worry about that. I just have to do my job and direct them and put them in positions where they’ll have a chance.”
“Nothing’s guaranteed, nothing’s promised to you; but if you don’t have the work ethic, if you don’t have the plan, if you don’t have the structure to put yourself in that position then you’re just wasting time. We have no time to waste.”
