CHICAGO (April 23, 2024) – Guards Ahmad Henderson II (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice/Niagara) and Joshua Reaves (Hamden, Conn./South Kent School/Mount St. Mary's) will transfer to UIC and play basketball for the Flames beginning next fall, head coach Rob Ehsan announced Tuesday. The duo are the latest additions to the UIC roster for the 2024-25 season and the first commitments since Ehsan took the head coaching reins earlier this month.
 
Henderson, who will a sophomore next season, is a 5-foot-9, 155-pound guard who earned a spot on this year's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) All-Rookie Team while at Niagara University. The Chicago native was a four-time MAAC Rookie of the Week selection and appeared in all 32 games as a freshman for the Purple Eagles, starting 26 times. He ranked second on the team and 20^th in the MAAC in scoring (11.2 ppg.), reaching double figures 21 times, including five 20-point outings. Henderson also scored a career-high 28 points in the Purple Eagles' home opener on Nov. 11 against Bucknell (a school record for points by a freshman in his home debut) and added 27 points on Jan. 15 against Siena, the most by any MAAC freshman last season.
 
A product of the same Chicago high school (Brother Rice) that also developed recent UIC graduate student guard Marquise Kennedy, Henderson was a second-team all-state honoree in 2023, a two-time all-area selection (2022, 2023) and a three-time first-team Chicago Catholic League choice (2021, 2022, 2023). He averaged 15.2 points per game across his final three seasons, including 17.0 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game as a senior in 2022-23, when he led Brother Rice to a 30-5 record and a berth in the Illinois Class 4A Sweet 16.
 
"We're thrilled to welcome Ahmad back home to Chicago," Ehsan said. "He is a quick, versatile scoring guard with a great shooting touch. He can also really distribute the basketball and we love his defensive toughness. Last year, he rose to the occasion with some big games against big opponents, leading to a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie Team, and we think he's just scratching the surface of his potential at the college level."
 
Reaves will be a 6-foot-4, 205-pound graduate student with two seasons of eligibility at UIC after attending Mount St. Mary's, where he appeared in 87 games and started 65 times (he missed all but three games as a junior in 2022-23 due to injury) while earning his bachelor's degree in business. At the Emmitsburg, Md., school, Reaves averaged 7.5 points per game with a sharp .368 three-point percentage and helped Mount St. Mary's win the 2021 Northeast Conference title and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Reaves started all 32 games for the Mountaineers, averaging a career-high 8.8 points per game with a personal-best 65 three-pointers and a .376 three-point percentage. He scored in double figures 12 times last year, highlighted by a career-high 24 points and 6-of-10 three-pointers in a Feb. 10 win over MAAC champion Quinnipiac.
 
Before arriving at Mount St. Mary's, Reaves played one postgraduate prep season at the South Kent School in Kent, Conn., averaging 25 points and nine rebounds per game for a program that has produced seven NBA Draft picks and numerous professional players and Division I athletes in its history. Prior to his time at South Kent, Reaves attended Notre Dame High School in Fairfield, Conn., helping the Lancers to a pair of state championships and a perfect 27-0 record in 2017-18. He was a second-team all-state choice in 2018, as well as a 2019 All-New England honorable mention selection before being chosen the John Pickells Prep Basketball Most Valuable Player in 2020.
 
"Josh is a terrific shooter, one of the best in the MAAC, with an amazing work ethic and defensive intensity," Ehsan said. "He also has the ability to play multiple positions and knows exactly what it takes to win at this level, having won a conference title and played in the NCAA Tournament. That kind of experience is invaluable as we continue building our championship culture here at UIC."
 
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).