Sasa Ciani & UIC’s Breakout Season in the MVC
Rob Ehsan leads UIC Flames to their best season in years, with a balanced roster, standout rebounding, and MVC contention. Dive into their rise!
The University of Illinois Chicago Flames haven’t finished above 150th in KenPom since 2009 when they finished 129th. The Flames that year started off 7-2, with wins over Northern Iowa (83rd), Vanderbilt (80th), and George Tech (98th). They would go on to stumble a bit in conference play, finishing just 8-11 and 16-15, but those quality wins at the beginning of the season helped elevate them to a top third team status.
Since that season, the Flames have finished in the top 200 just four times. All while running through three different head coaches who attempted to right the ship. However, the Flames might have found the coach to break the chains for this program in Rob Ehsan. Just three years removed from moving out of the Horizon League into the Missouri Valley as the team to replace the loss of Loyola Chicago Ramblers in the Chicago market for the MVC, the Flames are now 13-6 and rank 132nd in KenPom.
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Their strength of schedule ranks 110th overall, with notable wins over Yale (82nd), Drake (74th), and Murray State (118th). They came up just short against 49th Northwestern, falling 83-74. KenPom has them losing just four more games against Bradley, Murray State, Drake, and Northern Iowa in which none are predicted by more than nine points.
The question is, how has Rob Ehsan turned a team that’s struggled for a decade into a Missouri Valley Conference dark horse and potential contender in year one on the job? Let’s dive in shall we?
Looking at their computer metrics, there’s not one particular skill or statistic that the Flames dominate in. However, what’s notable is when you combine some of the statistics they are above average in. For example, the Flames are 98th in effective field goal percentage at 52.7% overall. They are 83rd in offensive rebounds, while 51st in opponent offensive rebounds. Rounding out the offense, they are 136th in 3pt percentage, 105th in 2pt percentage, and they hold opponents to just 51% overall from inside the arc which is good enough for 170th.
Xavier transfer Sasa Ciani certainly has something to do with the offensive rebounding. The 6’9 sophomore out of Slovenia is averaging 11.5 points, 9.1 rebounds (three of which are offensive), and 1.6 assists per game. Ciani ranks 5th in the country in offensive rebound rates and 6th in defensive rebounding. The big man is averaging 54.5% shooting from the floor and he won’t stretch you out, but he’s knocked down three out of his eleven shots from deep. Needless to say, this is a traditional big man that just mops the competition away on the glass. He had a career high 17 rebounds against Northern Iowa to go with 13 points. He’s finished with double-digit rebounds eight out of his 17 games. I love this guy. Want to see how good he is on the glass? Check out these highlights:
Similarly on the glass, Ciani isn’t the only one dominating their opponents. Modestas Kancleris is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game, with 7.7 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game in just 18.7 minutes on average. Against Valparaiso, Kancleris posted 13 points, seven rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and one steal in just 21 minutes. He’s an incredibly efficient player who’s posting career high averages across the board and shooting 60.5% from the floor.
Offensively, the addition of Javon Jackson out of Utah State has been a huge uplift. The 6’3 junior is leading the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game, while also holding it down on the defensive end with 1.6 steals on average. He’s also averaging three assists as one of the team’s primary ball handlers. What impresses me the most about Jackson is his finishing abilities. He’s not afraid to take ten or more shots per game, but he’s not like other players that will go 5-18 from the floor. He’s averaging a 42.2% shooting rate right now and 33.7% from deep.
Jackson isn’t the only offensive weapon in this lineup. In total, six players are averaging 9.5 points per game or more in meaningful rotation minutes:
Javon Jackson: 12.9 points, 42.2%
Sasa Ciani: 11.5 points, 53.4%
Ahmad Henderson: 11.3 points, 42.3%
Tyem Freeman: 10.3 points, 46.4%
Jordan Mason: 10.1 points, 45.6%
Filip Skobalj: 9.5 points, 49.6%
Most teams have a go-to player, then one or two role players to compliment the top performer. The Flames on the other hand have six players that can step up on any given day and lead the team in scoring.
Outside of these high offensive production players, I love how this team shares responsibility. As mentioned with Jackson, he is just one of the primary ball handlers. As a team, Jordan Mason averages 2.9 assists per game, Jackson averages three, and Ahmad Henderson sits at 3.2 to lead the team. It’s a group effort on ball control.
Taking a step back and combining all of these great players, we have a team that’s coached from the fundamentals. They don’t shoot the most threes, they don’t only shoot inside the paint, they aren’t stout defensively, but they do all of the fundamental aspects of the game well. As mentioned, they are 51st in the country in opponent offensive rebounding while giving themselves opportunities on the offensive glass. They box out, limit second chance points, while turning around and forcing themselves on the glass on the offensive end.
There is a lot to love about this team. Rob Ehsan is building something special in Chicago and you’re going to want to tune in.