2024-25 (Sophomore):
- Named MVC Newcomer of the Week the week of Dec. 30. Ciani was a force in UIC’s comeback win over Illinois State, 73-67. Scoring 14 of his 16 points in the second half, Ciani’s efforts led UIC to a 22-10 run to end the game, erasing a 12-point deficit.
- Played in 27 games for the Flames, starting 21 times.
- Led the team and second in the entire MVC with 7.6 rebounds per game.
- Fourth on the Flames in scoring, averaging 9.9 points per game.
- Collected 11 double-doubles, including a 15-point, 10-rebound performance in UIC’s 77-69 road victory at Little Rock on Dec. 15.
Saša Ciani (pronounced SAH-shuh CHAH-nee) is a 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward who will have three seasons of eligibility at UIC after playing his freshman year at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.
While with the Musketeers in the BIG EAST Conference, Ciani appeared in 31 games (starting five times), averaging 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game and helping Xavier earn a berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). He collected seven points, five rebounds and five assists at eventual NIT champion Seton Hall on Feb. 14, grabbed a season-high seven rebounds in a Jan. 31 win over St. John’s and collected seven points, six rebounds and four assists in a victory over crosstown rival Cincinnati on Dec. 9. Ciani also played in four games against last year’s NCAA national championship game participants (UConn and Purdue), collecting eight points and 10 rebounds, including four points and five rebounds in a Nov. 13 matchup at Purdue.
Along with a year at the U.S. college level, Ciani has suited up for several club teams in Europe, as well as for the Slovenia national and age-group teams.
In 2022-23, he played for Košarkarski klub Cedevita Olimpija (translated to English is Cedevita Olimpija Basketball Club), which is commonly referred to as KK Cedevita Olimpija, or simply Olimpija (a club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, that competes in the ABA League First Division). He also averaged 11.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.9 blocks, while shooting 65 percent from the field, while on loan to Cedevita Junior competing in the First Croatian League in Zagreb, Croatia.
Ciani represented Slovenia at the Under-20 European Championships in 2022 (12.4 ppg., 8.6 rpg. in seven games) and 2023 (12.0 ppg., 8.6 rpg., 1.4 apg. in seven games). He also made his debut with the Slovenian National Team in August 2022 in an exhibition against the Netherlands before playing in two games for Slovenia at the 2023 FIBA World Cup European qualifiers, averaging 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. One of his teammates on that 2023 Slovenian National Team was NBA All-Star Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
