CHICAGO – UIC head men's basketball coach Luke Yaklich has announced a pair of staff changes in advance of the 2022-23 season. Joining the program this season is Marlon London as the team's director of scouting while Madison Williams has been elevated to become the program's new director of player personnel.
 


"We are so excited to welcome Marlon London to our basketball program in his role as director of scouting for our program," said Yaklich. "Marlon brings such a unique experience level and background to our program. As a former Chicago high school player who played at the Division I level, Marlon is able to offer our student-athlete a unique perspective and serve as a mentor. His experience as a high school, Division II, and Division III assistant coach will be extremely valuable to our staff. He loves the city and has great relationships with so many people throughout the city of Chicago. We are excited about the wealth of experience and knowledge Marlon brings to our program."
 
London joins the Flames following four seasons as an associate head coach at nearby North Park University. Prior to that, London spent two seasons as the head coach of Lewis University, helping guide the 2016-17 team to the championship game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament.
 
Before entering the college ranks, London spent five years as an assistant boys basketball coach for St. Joseph's High School in Westchester, Ill. While coaching, London played a key role in helping the Chargers to the 2015 IHSA Class 3A State Championship and saw seven of his student-athletes receive NCAA Division I scholarships. One of those student-athletes was Portland Trail Blazers guard/forward Evan Turner, who was drafted No. 2 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.
 
As a student-athlete, London began his career at the University of Kansas where he garnered Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors. London would go on to graduate from DePaul in 2003 before playing professionally in Estonia, Spain and Mexico.



"I am incredibly excited to be able to promote Madison Williams to our Director of Player Personnel," added Yaklich. "He did an amazing job as our graduate manager this past season. His work ethic, willingness to learn and grow, and ability to impact our program on and off the court has been huge for our program and our student-athletes' development. He is an incredible mentor to our players on and off the court and will be great in his role as director of player personnel. I was fortunate enough to coach Madison in college and his work ethic on the court mirrors that in his role with our program."
 
Williams spent the 2021-22 season as a graduate manager for the Flames, supporting the Flames on a daily basis in all facets of the program. No stranger to head coach Luke Yaklich, Williams played college basketball at Illinois State and was a freshman on the team in 2016-17 when Yaklich was the associate head coach. Williams would play for two years before a medical hardship ended his playing days. Williams would remain on the team while working towards his degree.
 
The men's basketball team opens the 2022-23 season on Tuesday, November 1 with a 7 p.m. exhibition against Illinois Tech.