Light Up The Valley

UIC Introductory Press Conference

(St. Louis, MO) – UIC officially joined the Missouri Valley Conference Wednesday. An energetic press conference was held on the UIC campus as UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis and Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz jointly announced the acceptance.

Valley Commissioner Jeff Jackson was in attendance and spoke to those attending. The University of Illinois-Chicago joins Belmont University and Murray State University as three new affiliates to the 115-year-old conference. Loyola Chicago is heading the Atlantic Ten Conference and the MVC will be a twelve-team league for basketball.

Amiridis said UIC athletics had its eye on the Valley for several years and in November, he made a call to Jackson to inquire about the possibilities. Jackson admitted, that initially he knew very little about the Chicago public university.

“As the University of Illinois Chicago continues to thrive on the local, national, and global stage, joining the Missouri Valley Conference is an honor for the Flames,” said Amiridis. “The Valley is a conference that is not only rich in tradition with a storied history of success, but it aligns UIC with other like-minded institutions that share in our vision for the future of higher education and athletics. This is a tremendous step in the evolution of our athletics programs, and one that we are thrilled to embrace moving forward as we provide opportunities for our student-athletes to not only compete, but to succeed at the highest levels.”

More About UIC

With more than 34,000 students and 300,000 living alumni, UIC has recently been ranked a top-25 public university by the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education. In addition, UIC has been recognized as a top-30 university for ethnic diversity and a top-10 university for social mobility by U.S. News & World Report.

See our previous story on UIC joining the Valley!

Lipitz noted the athletics department is getting the job done in the classroom too, where UIC’s 300 student-athletes recorded the best academic year in school history in 2020-21 with a 3.43 overall grade-point average (GPA). All 18 teams and nearly half of the department’s student-athletes earned Dean’s List recognition in spring 2021 by achieving a 3.5+ GPA. UIC also achieved an all-time best 91% Graduation Success Rate (GSR) this past year.

MVC Commissioner Jeff Jackson noted the process was like a ‘whirlwind romance’. The first-year commissioner says the UIC addition to the league aligns perfectly with the Valley’s goals.

“A great addition for The Valley,” noted MVC Commissioner Jeff Jackson. “UIC’s combination of academics, location, facilities, financial commitment to athletic success, and leadership will enhance the brand of the MVC and the experiences of our student-athletes.”

Under Jackson’s leadership the conference has added Belmont, Murray State and now UIC, to bring the league total to twelve teams. While earlier rumors indicated the league had interest in growing to 14 teams, the expansion of conference members appears to be done for now.

What About the Hoops?

Flames basketball is coached by former Illinois State assistant Luke Yaklich. The second year coach was more famously an assistant at Michigan and Texas where he was credited with enhancing the defensive proficiency of those programs.

UIC is 7-9 and plays two games in the State of Michigan this weekend. The Flames split a pair of Missouri Valley Conference games this season, defeating Valparaiso and losing to Loyola Chicago.

Do Good

 

Editor: Some of the above quotes are from a uicflames.com press release.