UIC is parting ways with head basketball coach Steve McClain after five seasons

Steve McClain has been fired as head coach at UIC, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. McClain went 76-93 over five seasons at the helm, taking the Flames to the CBI in 2017 and CIT in 2018 (finished as runner-up in the latter).

He arrived at UIC in 2015 after spending five seasons at Indiana. He had previously spent nine seasons as the head coach at Wyoming, where he won two MWC titles and went to the NCAA Tournament in 2002.

So what’s next for UIC? There are a ton of high-major assistants with local connections that should be on the wishlist – guys like Chris Lowery (Kansas State), Paul Lusk (Creighton), Jerrance Howard (Kansas), Luke Yaklich (Texas) and Rashon Burno (Arizona State).

Another guy that’s available is former Valparaiso/Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew, who grew up across the border in Indiana and also spent a year playing for the Chicago Bulls. Drew is working for ESPN right now but there’s no question he will be getting a ton of calls from mid-major ADs hoping he can recapture the magic of his tenure at Valpo, where he won four Horizon titles in five years.

credit to Steve Woltmann/UIC Today for the photo