CHICAGO -- UIC Athletic Director Jim Schmidt announced Thursday that ESPN1000 Chicago will remain the radio home of the Flames for the upcoming 2015-16 men’s basketball season. The station will broadcast 15 games, including nine highly anticipated Horizon League matchups.

“We’re incredibly fortunate to be able to continue our longstanding partnership with ESPN1000 Chicago for the upcoming season,” said Schmidt. “There hasn’t been this much excitement building around the Flames in quite some time and it’s thrilling to know that our friends from ESPN Radio will be with us once again every step of the way.”

“The talented broadcast team of Jonathan Hood, Kenny Williams and Chris Bleck will undoubtedly inform and entertain UIC fans during what is shaping up to be a memorable season,” said Schmidt. “We all look forward to getting this campaign underway in just a few short weeks.”

After serving as the host of UIC pregame and halftime coverage since the 2012-13 season, Hood will assume play-by-play responsibilities for the new era of Flames basketball. He will be joined alongside expert analyst and one of the greatest Flames to ever wear the uniform, Kenny Williams. Bleck will fill the seat previously occupied by Hood as he leads the pregame show and halftime coverage.

Hood, a radio broadcaster for more than 20 years, is a talk show host on ESPN1000 Chicago/ESPNChicago.com, ESPN Radio (national program), Sirius XM NBA Radio, the Voice of the UIC Flames men's basketball team, and is also a two-time Chicagoland Achievement in Radio Award winner.

He's hosted a myriad of shows during his career including: Chicago's Gamenight, Chicago Baseball/Football Tonight, State Farm Motor Sports Weekly and Bulls Buzz. Hood has also covered everything from Chicago Bulls playoff games and the Top of the World Classic College Basketball Classic covering the Flames in Fairbanks, Alaska.

"It is truly a blessing to be one of the Voices of the Flames,” said Hood. “Kenny Williams and I will have a lot of fun describing the action for the upcoming season. A new fire burns! Go Flames."

Williams is one of only three players in program history to eclipse 2,000 career points, scoring 2,025 for the Flames from 1990-94. He is the program’s all-time leader with 237 steals and he ranks third in UIC annals with 487 assists.

ESPN1000 Chicago is part of the country's largest sports radio network. WMVP (AM 1000) is a 50,000-watt station that reaches 36 states and Canada and features a mix of national and local programming such as Mike and Mike in the Morning, Carmen & Jurko, Kap & Co., Waddle & Silvy, and much more.

The complete list of ESPN1000 Chicago broadcasts is listed below, and is subject to change. Home games listed in bold.

November
17 – at Western Illinois, 7 p.m.
28 – at Drake, 2 p.m.

December
5 – at Central Florida, 6 p.m.
12 – vs. Illinois (United Center), 1 p.m.
19 – at Loyola, 3 p.m.
29 – vs. Northern Illinois, 7 p.m.

January
2 – at Valparaiso, 1 p.m.
8 – at Detroit, TBA
10 – at Oakland, 2 p.m.
18 – at Cleveland State, 6 p.m.
24 – at Wright State, 1 p.m.

February
11 – vs. Wright State, 7 p.m.
16 – at Youngstown State, 6 p.m.
21 – vs. Oakland, 4 p.m.
28 – at Milwaukee, 2 p.m.