CHICAGO – The UIC men's basketball team, in conjunction with head coach Luke Yaklich, announced the signing of Isaiah Rivera to the roster for 2023-24 on Tuesday, as the Geneseo, Ill. native returns home to Chicago for his senior season.
 
"We are excited to welcome Isaiah Rivera to the Flames basketball family," commented UIC head coach Luke Yaklich. "Isaiah is a tough, competitive, and focused student-athlete who loves basketball, hates to lose, and is driven to earn a college degree. Isaiah has played an integral role in the success the past three seasons at Colorado State and will help continue to build our culture here at UIC and help us compete for Missouri Valley Championships. Isaiah brings size, playmaking ability, shooting, and a defensive mindset to our program. We are excited to bring Isaiah back home to Illinois where he had an incredibly successful high school career playing at Geneseo High School. Isaiah scored over 2,400 points the under the leadership of Brad Storm. Isaiah plans on earning his degree in sociology and has been a high-performing student-athlete during his time at Colorado State."
 
Rivera was certainly a crucial part of the Rams roster over the past three seasons, seeing action in all 92 of Colorado State's games during that time frame. He averaged almost 30 minutes per game as a junior, starting 31 of his team's 33 games. His junior campaign saw a dramatic increase in scoring, averaging over eight points per game including a career-high 19 scored in a Rams win over LMU on Nov. 30, 2022. Rivera is very proficient from behind the arc, with a career three-point percentage nearly eclipsing 40%. He averaged a steal per game in 2022-23, including a career-high four-steal night against Boise State on Feb. 15, 2023.
 
As a high school senior, Rivera was a top 100 ESPN small forward, and was the number seven overall high school prospect in Illinois at Geneseo HS. Along with being a top-10 vote getter for Mr. Basketball of Illinois, he was also named Quad City Times Illinois Player of the Year along with Associated Press and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association First Team Class 3A All-State his senior year.
 
Rivera is the second addition to the roster for 2023-24 following the conclusion of the season, joining Houston Christian transfer Andrew King.