CHICAGO (Oct. 15, 2025) – Four UIC men's basketball players earned a place on the 2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Watch List that was announced Wednesday. Returning junior guard Ahmad Henderson II leads the quartet representing the Flames and is joined by a trio of UIC newcomers — graduate student guards Josiah Hammons and Sam Silverstein, and sophomore guard Elijah Crawford.

A native Chicagoan, Henderson is the Flames' top returning scorer from a season ago, averaging 11.5 points, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game while appearing in all 31 games and starting 29 times. Along with scoring in double figures 21 times, he led the MVC and set a school record with an .899 free-throw percentage, and also ranked among the top 15 in the Valley in steals, assist/turnover ratio (1.40) and assists.
 
Like Henderson, Hammons is originally from the Windy City and transferred home to UIC after attending Sam Houston State last year and Incarnate Word the prior season. In his two Division I campaigns, Hammons played in 62 games (making 38 starts) and averaged 9.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while knocking down 134 three-pointers and shooting .366 from beyond the arc.
 
Silverstein is a resident of the Chicago suburb of Glencoe and returned home to the Flames following successful stints at Harvard (2020-23) and Cal Baptist (2024-25). During his three seasons on the hardwood, Silverstein appeared in 86 games (starting 43 times) and averaged 5.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game with a .456 field-goal percentage.
 
Crawford came to UIC this summer after contributing to BYU's NCAA Sweet Sixteen team last year. In his one season in Provo, the Augusta, Ga., product gained valuable experience across 21 games, including the Cougars' Big 12 Tournament semifinal against eventual national runner-up Houston, and in BYU's Sweet Sixteen matchup with Alabama.
 
UIC is beginning its second season under head coach Rob Ehsan, and fourth as an MVC member, following a solid showing in 2024-25 when the Flames finished with a 17-14 record and tied for fifth place in the conference standings. Under Ehsan's leadership, UIC also had its best regular-season winning percentage (.567) since 2004 and picked up four Quad 1-2 wins (second-best in the Valley). What's more, the Flames posted five wins over teams that competed in the postseason, including victories over Drake, Yale, Bradley and Illinois State, and they produced UIC's second-highest scoring offense (76.0 ppg. – fourth in MVC) in the past 30 years.
 
The 2025-26 UIC men's basketball schedule has been announced (tip times and TV coverage are pending), with all home games played at the Flames' historic Credit Union 1 Arena, starting with the season opener on Nov. 3 against Detroit Mercy (as part of a doubleheader with the UIC women, who host Robert Morris in their opener earlier in the day). Fans can learn more about purchasing season tickets and securing access to the spacious and elite Courtside Club by contacting the UIC Athletics Ticket Office (312.413.UIC1; athleticsticketing@uic.edu). Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 UIC basketball season will go on sale in the coming days.
 
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).