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Banks, Flames receive more props

(10/23/03)

After five of six major college basketball publications rated the UIC Flames as the favorite to win the Horizon League championship, the official Horizon League preseason poll followed suit.

The Flames were nearly a unanimous choice in the poll of men’s basketball coaches, sports information directors and media, garnering 32 of a possible 35 first-place votes. UIC earned 325 total points (based on a voting system of the first place team getting nine points, second place getting eight points, etc.). The Flames were 21-9 last year, finishing third in the conference with a 12-4 record, and earned the first NIT berth in school history.

Flames senior guard Cedrick Banks (pictured) was named the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year, and was one of three UIC players to gain recognition in the poll.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which received one first-place vote, was selected to finish second with 251 points. Butler, the defending champion and NCAA Sweet 16 participant, had the other two first-place tallies, was third with 250 points. Rounding out the poll were: Detroit, Loyola, Wright State, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Youngstown State and Cleveland State.

Banks led the Flames with 19.0 points per game and was fourth in the league in scoring. He was First-Team All-Horizon last season. Fellow senior Martell Bailey, the national assists champion last season with 8.1 per game, was also named to the preseason First-Team All-Horizon, while senior forward Armond Williams was a preseason Second-Team All-Horizon selection. Williams was fourth nationally in field-goal percentage, shooting at a 63.9 percent clip.

Banks and Bailey were joined on the first-team by Wright State forward Seth Doliboa, Loyola forward Paul McMillan and Milwaukee forward Dylan Page. Youngstown State center Adam Baumann, Detroit forward Elijah Warren, Wright State guard Vernard Hollins and Butler forward Mike Monserez joined Williams on the second-team.

MID-MAJOR MADNESS: CollegeInsider.com ranked UIC No. 3 in its initial poll of Top 25 teams. The Flames, who finished last year 22nd in the poll, trailed just Gonzaga and Manhattan.

Banks and Page were the only Horizon players named Mid-Major All-Americans by the site.

In other recent news:
Midnight Madness to kick off basketball season (10/13/03)
Basketball News has UIC #38 nationally (9/29/03)
UIC, Xavier could be on collision course (9/19/03)
Flames' schedule released (plus roster news) (9/15/03)
UIC receives some preseason accolades (9/11/03)