CHICAGO – It was a season of firsts for the UIC women's basketball program; a first-year head coach, its first year in a new conference and a roster filled with many student-athletes donning the Flames uniform for the first time.
"It's just amazing how everybody was willing to come together and push for one vision," said UIC head coach
Ashleen Bracey.
What resulted was one of the best seasons in program history. The Flames won 19 games, 17 more wins than the previous season, won its first conference tournament game in six years and advanced to the postseason for the third time in program history.
FIRST SEASON IN THE MVC
The 2022-23 season was a historic one for the Flames, as UIC competed as members of the Missouri Valley Conference for the first time.
The team's first win against an MVC school came on Jan. 7, a thrilling 57-53 victory against Evansville. A few days later, the Flames had arguably their most memorable play of the 2022-23 season. Graduate transfer
Josie Filer sank the game-winning three-pointer as time expired to take down Valparaiso 51-50.
"When I hit the buzzer beater, it was a really special moment," Filer said.
A month later, UIC defeated Drake, 64-52 for the program's first victory over a top 60 NET-ranked opponent. The 12-point victory was largest margin of victory a MVC program had all season against the eventual conference champion.
"It was Breast Cancer Awareness Night and we had dedicated the game to
Dylan Van Fleet's mom, who had passed from breast cancer, and our girls were very passionate about getting a victory against Drake," Bracey said. "Drake is an NCAA Tournament team who took No. 5 seed Louisville down to the wire. I think this victory showed where we are heading and what can be possible in the future."
UIC finished its first regular season in the MVC with a 9-11 record against conference opponents.
The Flames also had the opportunity to experience many individual milestones over the course of the 2022-23 season. The front court of Filer and junior
Jaida McCloud each surpassed 1,000 career points across back-to-back games in March.
"I wasn't so focused on hitting 1,000 career points, but more so being present in the moment," Filer said. "I'm so glad I was able to achieve this milestone with this team, Coach Bracey and the staff."
Hoops in the Heartland
The Flames earned the No. 6 seed at the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Hoops in the Heartland Women's Basketball Tournament. In the first round, the Flames accomplished defeated Valparaiso 72-47, for the program's first MVC tournament win.
The victory was also UIC's first conference tournament win since the 2017-18 season.
"We came out on a mission and I think we put together a strong 40-minute," Bracey said. "We played for each other and to be able to get a victory in the conference tournament for the first time since 2018 was awesome for this program."
2023 Women 's Basketball Invitational
Following the conclusion of Hoops in the Heartland, the Flames were invited to the 2023 Women's Basketball Invitational, the team's third postseason appearance in program history.
"The fact that we had more opportunities to play was awesome," senior
Tiana Jackson said. "I was really appreciative to have the opportunity to compete in the postseason experience, since it was my last season playing collegiately."
"The WBI was an opportunity for our team to see their hard work pay off," Bracey said. "The opportunity for our program to play in March was huge."
WHAT A SEASON IT WAS
The Flames finished the 2022-23 with a 19-17 record, the second-most wins in program history. UIC's 17-game win turnaround from the previous season's record was also the second-largest win turnaround in the nation.
"When you look back at it, you think, 'Wow did that really happen?'", said junior
Sara Zabrecky. "We broke so many records, it's just something we are always going to remember."
"It was completely the cherry on top of my college career," Filer said. "I could not be more fortunate and grateful for this season and this team and Coach Bracey's first year. It was completely life changing."
Coach Bracey also accomplished the most wins by UIC head coach in its first season, surpassing Regina Miller (2011-2018) who won 18 games during her first year leading the Flames.
"People are ready to get on board for a program that shows success on the court, and I think with our women's basketball program, it's been a minute since they've seen it," Bracey said. "I'm just excited for the community to experience this. I think our young ladies do a phenomenal job representing the program, the department of athletics and the university as a whole."
REFLECTING
Ask any member on the women's basketball team about what led to their success, the answers often correlate. It was the mission instilled by Bracey and her coaching staff that led to the season they had.
"Coach Bracey is a player-coach, but she's also real," Filer said. "She takes so much pride into getting to know her players and being able to read her players. It was an extremely special moment for me to be able to end my college career with her as my coach."
"The staff emphasizes the small things and that really makes the difference," Jackson said. "We compete at high level, show up every day and giving our absolute best. If you plan on coming here, that is the culture and that is what we are really trying to harp on."
For Coach Bracey and the returning UIC student-athletes, they are grateful for the season they had, but are ready to get back to work. The bar has been set and the Flames are ready to raise it.
"To go from good to great is even harder and so we got to up the ante in a lot of areas," Bracey said. "Recruiting will continue to push this program upwards in addition to putting the work on the court."
"We are committed, dedicated and we are all in with one another," Zabrecky said. "We will keep pushing hard, keep having those big dreams and we all will be good."
