CHICAGO (Aug. 26, 2026) – The UIC men's basketball program further enhanced its roster for the 2026-27 season on Wednesday, as head coach Rob Ehsan announced the signing of graduate student guard Benny Gealer (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Rolling Hills Prep/Stanford). Gealer is the ninth newcomer, and the fifth transfer to sign with the Flames for the upcoming season, joining redshirt junior guards Gabe Cupps and Asa Thomas, redshirt junior forward Lucas Scroggins, senior guard Nicolas Ortiz, and four incoming freshmen in forwards Dikembe Shaw and DJ Hudson, and guards Elijah Garrett and Rocco Pagliocca.
 
"Benny is a tough, versatile combo guard who brings a winning mentality to everything he does," Ehsan said. "He is an elite shooter who can really stretch the floor, but what makes him so valuable is that he is a true two-way player who can impact the game defensively as well. The fact that he was named the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year speaks volumes about his character, discipline and competitive drive. Benny is all about winning, and we're excited to add a player with his toughness, skill and mindset to our program."
 
Gealer, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard, reunites with Ehsan and UIC assistant coach David Berkun, who were both on the Stanford staff that originally brought Gealer to The Farm in 2022. In his four seasons in Palo Alto, Gealer played in 109 games (39 starts) and averaged 6.4 points per game with a .383 three-point percentage, 160 made three-pointers (good for 14th in school history) and .885 free-throw percentage (second all-time at Stanford), while scoring in double figures 31 times. He was also the 2026 recipient of the Skip Prosser Award (given to the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year), a three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection and a three-time conference all-academic choice (twice in the ACC, once in the Pac-12), earning his bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford this past spring.
 
Last year, Gealer enjoyed his finest collegiate campaign to date, playing in all 33 games and starting 31 times for a Cardinal squad that won 20 games and earned a berth in the College Basketball Crown. He averaged career highs of 10.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game (ninth in the ACC) with a .410 three-point percentage (second in the ACC), 2.6 triples per game (eighth in the ACC) and an .895 free-throw percentage. Gealer scored in double figures 18 times in 2025-26, including career highs of 30 points, seven three-pointers and six steals in a Senior Day win over SMU at Maples Pavilion — he was the first Division I player to reach those totals against a major conference opponent in at least the past two decades, as well as the first Stanford player with six steals in a game since 2014. Gealer also was the MVP of the Acrisure Invitational after sinking a three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat Saint Louis in the tournament title game.
 
Gealer was a three-star recruit as a point guard coming out of Rolling Hills Prep, where he led the school to a pair of California 2AA Southern Section championships. He was the 2021 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Player of the Year and a three-time CIF Southern Section First Team honoree, as well as a two-time Coastal Conference MVP and the 2021 Daily Breeze Player of the Year. In addition, he was a first-team all-conference selection on multiple occasions by both the Daily Breeze (three times) and the Los Angeles Times (twice) and was nominated for the McDonald's High School All-America Game before joining Stanford as a priority walk-on.
 
Gealer also was the only high school player chosen for the 2022 USA Maccabiah Team that went 6-0 and earned the gold medal at that year's Maccabiah Games in Israel. One of his teammates on that USA squad was former Flames guard Sam Silverstein, who played in all 35 games for UIC last year as a graduate student, averaging 2.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
 
UIC is coming off a 19-win season and a third-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference, capped off by a trip to the 2026 NIT (National Invitation Tournament), the school's first berth in that elite event since 2003, and the Flames' first-ever appearance in the MVC Tournament championship game. UIC also posted its highest overall KenPom rating since 2004 (No. 110) and highest defensive efficiency mark since 2008 (No. 91), along with its highest-ever NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) ranking at No. 115. What's more, during Ehsan's first two years at UIC, the Flames have collected eight Quad 1 & 2 wins, the second-most in the MVC, as well as six wins over teams ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll (four against top-10 squads).
 
Along with its sizable group of newcomers, UIC returns numerous key contributors this fall, including 2026 All-MVC Freshman Team guard Andy Johnson and two other rising young standouts who developed significantly during their freshman years in guard Rashund Washington Jr. and forward Jayce Nathaniel. The Flames will also benefit from critical veteran leadership through a pair of senior starters in guard Ahmad Henderson II and guard/forward Mekhi Lowery.

Season ticket packages for the 2026-27 Flames' men's basketball campaign are now on sale through the UIC Athletics Ticket Office, which can be reached by phone (312.413.8421) or e-mail (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).