UIC Flames off to hot start under first-year head coach Rob Ehsan
CHICAGO (CBS) -- First-year University of Illinois Chicago basketball coach Rob Ehsan seems to have things cooking for the Flames, especially after picking up their first ever win in Peoria on Wednesday.
Ehsan has the Flames off to a hot start. As of Friday, they were 14-7 overall, and 7-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference, which is three more wins than each of the last two seasons.
"We beat Yale at home; huge win. We beat Drake when they were undefeated. Now we beat Bradley. So every time you do that, I think it's just feeding into their confidence and belief. I said it before the season, I'll say it now, I would have said it a month ago: our team is good enough to really do something special here," he said.
The Flames' up-tempo style offense shined in their most recent win in Peoria, rallying from 13 down to blow out first-place Bradley.
Junior guard Jordan Mason is one of eight transfers on the team who have built chemistry quickly.
"Coach Ehsan and the rest of the coaching staff came in and kind of just told us how they wanted us to play, and it kind of sounded crazy at first, like, how it was going to work, but we all bought into it, and we just were able to see each other work every day," Mason said.
Part of what's making this team close is playing with a chip on its shoulder after being picked to finish last in the conference in the preseason. The Flames are currently tied for second place.
"Right from the jump from the summer we were hanging out, all the stuff. Practices were doing good, everybody works hard. So we've been all together from the jump," senior forward Modestas Kancleris said.
They play their next two games at home, starting with Indiana State on Saturday at Credit Union 1 Arena.
