Sept. 3, 2010
CHICAGO- UIC head men's basketball coach Howard Moore announced today that he has hired Al Biancalana, Mike Mennenga and Donnie Kirksey as assistant coaches, Matt Ryan as director of basketball operations, Drew Slempkes as director of student-athlete development, and Jeremy Buttell as administrative assistant.
"With the special situations involved in getting the job at this point of the year, I knew the biggest challenge was going to be getting the right staff with such a limited amount of time to get it done while putting together a staff that really would work off each other and have great chemistry," said Moore. "I think I found that in these gentlemen. They are guys that I am really close with and have had relationships with prior to getting this opportunity, so I am really excited about the chance to work with these great guys."
Biancalana brings nearly three decades of coaching experience to UIC, most recently serving as the head basketball coach at York Community High School in Elmhurst, Ill. since 2005. He led York to five consecutive winning seasons, four straight regional championship appearances, and a 2006 regional title that helped him garner IBCA District 7 Coach of the Year accolades.
The Elmwood Park native was also the top assistant coach at Bradley University, where he was on staff with Moore, from 1999-2005. He was responsible for recruiting a majority of the roster for the Braves' 2006 NCAA Sweet 16 run.
"I have known Al for the past 12 years," said Moore. "He's someone I am very fond of, someone I know as a great basketball mind, and someone that I learned quite a bit from while working at Bradley. Now I am excited that we can work together at UIC.
"He is going to bring a fountain of knowledge with him to the job, and he is someone I know I can lean on for advice and for a different perspective both on and off the court," Moore said. "I'm extremely excited to have him with me."
Mennenga comes to UIC after a stint as an assistant coach at Central Connecticut State. Prior to that he was the director of player development under head coach Keno Davis at Providence for a year. He has been an assistant coach at Iowa State, where helped bring in a top 25 recruiting class in 2005-06, in addition to Buffalo and Maine.
"I was very fortunate to get Mike on our staff," said Moore. "Mike brings infectious work ethic and a tremendous passion to the game and to recruiting. He's going to open a lot of doors for UIC that haven't been opened in a while, and we're excited about him being on our staff and helping us move this program forward."
Kirksey joins Moore's staff after serving as the head basketball coach and athletic director at Hyde Park Academy since 2007. He brings college basketball coaching experience from stints at DePaul and Chicago State.
"Having someone from the city of Chicago with Donnie's connections and ties is a tremendous win for our program," said Moore. "I have gotten to know Donnie very well over the past few years and he has done a great job at the high school level, as well as the collegiate level, and brings a great amount of basketball knowledge and recruiting ties to the job. He will definitely be a great asset to this program and a great mentor to our student-athletes."
Ryan most recently served on the Wisconsin staff with Moore as the Badgers' video coordinator. The son of Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan, he has also served as the basketball operations administrator and lead video coordinator for the USA Men's World University Team for the 2009 World University Games and has coaching experience at a variety of prep programs.
"Matt has definitely paid his dues working at the high school level and having a support job at Wisconsin with us during our most successful years," said Moore. "Matt is going to help translate the Wisconsin philosophy to the team and to the rest of the staff. Having played for Coach Ryan and played in the system that we are going to implement makes Matt a huge asset to our program, and having him in the operations position will help us be organized and efficient on a daily basis."
Slempkes joins the Flames after serving as a teacher and a coach for basketball and track and field at schools in Wisconsin. He worked with Moore when he was a student manager for the Wisconsin basketball team.
"Working at the high school and college level, Drew has definitely put himself in a position where he can become a tremendous coach someday, and I am really excited that he is going to be working with our young men very closely in regards to community service, academics, and video responsibilities as my director of student-athlete development," said Moore. "His position will be one that allows us to utilize all of his strengths and allow him to develop into a successful coach."
Buttell returns to his alma mater as an administrative assistant after capping a three-year career for the Flames this past March. He ranked fifth in the Horizon League in rebounding as a senior with 7.5 rpg last year.
"Jeremy is an energetic young man who also has the passion to be a coach someday, and this position will allow him to see the nuts and bolts behind the scenes in the office," said Moore. "He's going to pay his dues and become a great coach someday, and we're very excited to have him as part of our program handling many different duties and having many different responsibilities to allow our program to be successful."
