Entering his sixth season on the Flames[apos] bench is Lynn Mitchem, who brings a wealth of coaching, recruiting and playing experience to Jimmy Collins[apos] program. Mitchem, who will work with the Flames[apos] big men, joined UIC prior to the 2001-02 campaign, following assistant coaching stints at Nebraska, Washington State, Ball State, Loyola, and, most recently, a two-year tenure at Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill. His impact has been quickly felt as the Flames have reached the 20-win plateau in three of his five seasons on the sidelines with UIC advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2002 and 2004, as well as the NIT in 2003. A four-year letterwinner at Butler University, Mitchem finished his collegiate career as the Bulldogs[apos] third all-time leading scorer with 1,798 points. He is also third in the career annals for field goals made, fourth for career rebounds and seventh for career field goal percentage. A three-time First Team All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference honoree, two-time Associated Press First Team member and the Butler student-athlete of the year in 1983, Mitchem led the Bulldogs in scoring during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Following his standout collegiate career, Mitchem was drafted by the NBA[apos]s Indiana Pacers. Following a brief professional career overseas in Bahrain, Mitchem landed his first collegiate coaching post in 1985 as he served as a graduate assistant coach at Purdue University for one season under the legendary Gene Keady. He then went on to an assistant position at Nebraska, a job he held from 1986-92. At Nebraska, Mitchem assisted in recruiting one of the nation[apos]s top 10 recruiting classes in 1991, while helping turn the Cornhuskers into a perennial top-20 team and a regular contender for the Big Eight title. Mitchem was instrumental in recruiting a pair of NBA First Round Draft Picks to Nebraska during his time there - Rich King, who was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in 1991 and Eric Piatkowski, who was chosen by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1994. In 1992, Mitchem joined the Washington State basketball staff as an assistant coach while also serving as the program[apos]s recruiting coordinator. In 1993, he returned to the Midwest to serve as an assistant at Ball State for one season before joining Ken Burmeister[apos]s staff at Loyola for four years. A 1983 graduate of Butler, Mitchem earned a bachelor[apos]s degree in physical education with a minor in special education. He is member of both the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Black Coaches Association.
