CHICAGO (April 16, 2024) – UIC head men's basketball coach Rob Ehsan continues to round out the Flames' coaching unit for the 2024-25 season, adding three more members to his staff on Tuesday. David Berkun, Ryan Davis and Jaime Smith all will serve as assistant coaches at UIC, with Davis also designated as director of player personnel and Smith named director of scouting. Ehsan is expected to complete the selection of his 2024-25 staff in the coming days.
 
"I'm confident the Flames will benefit tremendously from all three of these talented staff members," Ehsan said. "Each of them brings a unique skill set to our team and will be strong complements to the others on our staff as we work to take Chicago's College Team to the next level."
 
Berkun spent eight seasons on the men's basketball staff at Stanford University, most recently as an assistant coach with the Cardinal following two years as Assistant Athletics Director, Men's Basketball (2021-23), and two as Director of Operations (2019-21). He also spent time as Director of Player Development (2018-19) and began his career in Palo Alto with two seasons as a men's basketball intern.
 
"I had the great fortune of working alongside David the past three years at Stanford, where he wore a number of hats for us," Ehsan noted. "He is extremely organized, creative and thorough, and that versatility will be extremely beneficial to us in so many ways, from recruiting, scouting and analytics, to player development and alumni relations." 
 
Throughout his eight years at Stanford, Berkun's responsibilities consistently expanded, with a specific emphasis on scouting, recruiting and analytics. In his operations role, Berkun added oversight of team travel, scheduling of program activities, facilities coordination, alumni development and assisted with scheduling. He also served as the program's liaison with the department's facilities, event management, operations and external relations teams, managed team and staff schedules and aided in the program's Sixth Man initiatives.
 
In the past three seasons, Berkun helped Stanford to 44 wins, including three against top-five opponents (the program's first since 2007) and the Cardinal's first road win over a Top 25 team since 2014. During Berkun's tenure, Stanford also produced its first Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year since 2000 (Harrison Ingram in 2022) and two-time all-conference forward Spencer Jones (2022, 2023), as well as three consecutive Pac-12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year (a first in conference history for either men's or women's basketball) and a pair of 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans (Brandon Angel and Michael Jones).
 
A native of Buffalo, New York, Berkun graduated from Canisius College in December 2016 and was immediately hired by Stanford. Berkun earned his bachelor's degree in finance from Canisius, where he was a member of the Dean's List each semester and graduated magna cum laude. Berkun was also a standout member of the Canisius golf team during his time on the Buffalo campus. A two-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Academic selection as a member of the Golden Griffins, Berkun also served a leadership role on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). During his time at Canisius, Berkun worked in the athletic department, assisting with the internal production of live broadcasts of several events, while also serving as one of the department's liaisons for external television productions.

Berkun earned his master's degree in Sport Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2021.
 
Berkun has two years of experience in coaching, serving as an assistant coach for the varsity boys' basketball team at Williamsville South High School during the 2014-15 season, and as an assistant coach for the varsity boys' basketball team at Williamsville North High School for the 2013-14 campaign. Berkun captained the Williamsville North High School boys' basketball team during a standout scholastic career. His brother, Michael, is director of athletics and head men's basketball coach at SUNY Maritime College.
 
Davis has been a lifelong Chicagoland resident and comes to UIC following nine seasons on the staff at Lake Forest College, the past three (2021-24) as head coach. During Davis' tenure as an assistant and head coach, the Foresters registered 104 wins, including 80 conference victories, and helped Lake Forest advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in program history in 2018-19. The Foresters also set or tied 17 program records with Davis on the sidelines, including high-water marks for scoring average (83.6 ppg.) and three-pointers made (269) during the 2018-19 season.
 
"Ryan has already gathered a great deal of coaching experience, most recently with the opportunity to serve as a head coach at Lake Forest," Ehsan stated. "That knowledge will be invaluable for our program, and then when you add on the recruiting connections he has made as a lifelong Chicago resident, it's clear he will be an important contributor to our staff as we build a championship culture.
 
An accomplished coach and tactician, Davis produced 10 all-conference honorees and 45 academic all-conference selections while at Lake Forest. He also garnered further experience as an advanced scout for the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx during the 2021 season.
 
Prior to his arrival on Chicago's North Shore, Davis served two years as an assistant coach at the University of Chicago Lab School, helping U-High earn back-to-back Independent School League championships. While coaching there, Davis also spent time as a coach with the Nike Meanstreets AAU program in Chicago, assisting with player development, on-court coaching and recruiting.
 
Davis is a 2015 graduate of the University of Chicago, where he received his bachelor's degree in political science and played for the Maroons' men's basketball team in 2011-12. Originally from Deerfield, Illinois, Davis matriculated from Deerfield High School and spent a post-graduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.
 
An accomplished player at the college and professional levels, Smith moved into the coaching ranks last summer as director of player development at Longwood University. In his lone season with the Lancers, Smith helped the program to a 21-win season, a Big South Conference Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Individually, Smith helped tutor second-team All-Big South guard (and conference tournament MVP) Walyn Napper and Big South All-Freshman Team selection Emanuel Richards while at Longwood.
 
"Having recently made the transition from playing to coaching, Jaime is in the unique position of having just walked the same path that many of our players will be looking to follow in the coming years," Ehsan said. "He knows what it takes, not only to succeed at the college level but also to advance to the professional ranks."
 
Smith began coaching after a nine-year professional career in Europe that included stops in France, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine, Belgium, Switzerland and Portugal. Along the way, he won the FIBA Europe Cup, qualified for the Basketball Champions League, earned multiple trips to the league and Europe Cup finals and was a three-time all-league selection.
 
As a collegiate student-athlete, Smith enjoyed tremendous success at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, leading the Chargers to four consecutive Gulf South Conference championships, a GSC Tournament crown, four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and two trips to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. He was also chosen as a National Association of Basketball Coaches All-American and the GSC Player of the Year in 2012-13 and was a three-time all-conference choice as well as a member of the GSC All-Decade First Team (2010-11 to 2019-20).
 
Along with his coaching and playing resume, Smith has worked at J Smith Hoops since 2008 as a head coach, trainer and camp director to help players build basketball skills.
 
Fans are strongly encouraged to support NIL opportunities for UIC student-athletes through contributions to The Chicago Collective. In addition, season ticket deposits for the 2024-25 Flames' men's basketball campaign are currently being accepted online through Ticketmaster or by contacting the UIC Athletics Ticket Office (312.413.8421; athleticsticketing@uic.edu).
 
For more information on UIC men's basketball, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_mbb and @uicflames).