CHICAGO – UIC head men's basketball coach Rob Ehsan announced Wednesday the addition of two more transfer student-athletes to the Flames' roster for the 2025-26 season. Redshirt junior forward Ante Beljan (Trogir, Croatia/BC Zadar/Little Rock) and graduate student forward Abdul Momoh (Carteret, N.J./The Patrick School/Central Connecticut State) both committed to join Chicago's College Team next year, adding to an incoming transfer class that also includes junior guard Mekhi Lowery and graduate student guard Sam Silverstein, who signed with the Flames last week.
 
Beljan (name pronounced ON-tay BELL-yawn) is a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, who spent the past three years at Little Rock, where he averaged 7.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game with a .566 field-goal percentage in 52 games (41 starts). He saw his greatest growth this past season, when he started all 33 games for the Trojans, averaging 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game (sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference at 2.15 offensive rebounds per game), and posting a .571 field-goal percentage. Beljan also scored in double figures 17 times last season with four 20-point games and a career-high 33 points (plus 11 rebounds for his first career double-double) in a Jan. 4 contest at Tennessee State.
 
A native of Trogir, Croatia, Beljan played three seasons for BC Zadar, averaging 10.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in his final year with the club. He also spent time in 2021-22 with Jazine in the Croatian Prva Liga, compiling 11.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. In addition, Beljan has international experience, playing on the Croatian U19 National Team in 2021 and 2022.
 
"Ante is a skilled front-court player who finishes well with either hand at the rim," Ehsan said. "He made a big jump in his development this past year and we're looking forward to building upon that here at UIC."
 
Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 235 pounds, Momoh is the reigning Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was a third-team All-NEC selection in 2024-25. He started all 31 games he played in for CCSU last year, averaging 8.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game with a .592 field-goal percentage, while leading the conference in blocks, ranking second in field-goal percentage and sixth in rebounds. He also scored in double figures 14 times with four double-doubles and helped the Blue Devils to a 25-win season, their second consecutive NEC regular-season title and a spot in the conference tournament title game.
 
In his four-year career in New Britain, Conn., Momoh played in 96 games (61 starts) for CCSU, averaging 5.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game with a .573 field-goal percentage. He also ranked among the top 10 in the NEC in blocked shots during each of his final three seasons. He came to Central Connecticut following a post-grad year at The Patrick School in Union, N.J., where he earned first-team all-league honors. Momoh also played his senior season of high school at Timothy Christian School in Piscataway, N.J., averaging 19.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.0 blocks and 5.0 assists per game.
 
"Abdul is a versatile front-court presence who has continued to develop his game every year he's been at the college level," Ehsan said. "He's a high-level rebounder and shot blocker and also someone who can also score on the block. He has the opportunity to be an important contributor for us at both ends of the court and we're excited to welcome him and Ante to Chicago's College Team!"
 
During Ehsan's first season at UIC, the Flames finished with a 17-14 record and tied for fifth place in the Missouri Valley Conference. UIC also registered 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 produced the program's second-highest scoring offense (76.0 ppg. – fourth in MVC) in the past 30 years.
 
Details on season ticket packages for the 2025-26 Flames' men's basketball campaign will be available in the coming weeks. For more information, fans are encouraged to contact 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).