It`s not true that coach Bob Hallberg rants and raves and throws folding chairs whenever his players get creative and work the ball in for a shot close to the basket.
Considering the way his Missile Launchers, er, Flames used the three-pointer in their first two victories, though, he might want to test out that approach.
UIC took 26 three-pointers in its season-opening 71-60 win over Illinois Thursday, and 26 more Saturday in an almost identical 70-62 win at Western Michigan for a total of 52.
Thursday, UIC was 9 of 26 from long range, including three big threes from Tony Freeman, who finished with 27 points. Saturday`s effort included 16 three-point tries by Brian Hill, who made a school-record nine of them for a career-high 33 points.
Hallberg has said often that this year`s club has the magic touch last year`s didn`t. What wasn`t clear was that the Flames would be shooting so much and so well from so far out.
”If you can hit the outside shot and particularly the three-pointer you`ve got the green light from me,” says Hallberg. ”Brian Hill shoots the three like anybody else shoots the two. He has that type of range. So does Tony and a lot of our other guys.”
Also contributing to the three-point barrage: UIC`s first two opponents.
”Both those teams were inside-oriented-Illinois with (Deon) Thomas and (Andy) Kpedi and Western Michigan with (Jim) Havrilla. We don`t attack another team`s strength, we attack their weakness and it was to our advantage to make those big guys come out and get us.”
So thanks, in part, to a lot of threes, UIC is 2-0 heading into Tuesday night`s home opener against Illinois State (0-2).
”We don`t go into a game concentrating on threes,” says Hallberg.
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”We don`t talk about it in practice. But if we`re open we take it.”