Approaching their Nov. 4 tip-off against NAIA St. Francis (Ill.), the UIC Flames basketball season is well underway. Under newly appointed head coach Rob Ehsan, the Flames’ roster is offensively focused as the program seeks to earn long-awaited postseason hardware. Ehsan is known for his strategic use of the transfer portal, but the Flames’ trio of freshmen players are highly anticipated arrivals to Chicago’s west side.
Spanish National Team alum Iker Garmendia signed with the Flames this June. He averaged 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game over the last two seasons with his club team, Joventut Badalona in Catalonia, Spain. Appearing on the U18 and U16 Spanish National Teams, Garmendia led his team to two consecutive silver medals at the 2022 and 2023 FIBA European Championships.
This past summer, the 6-foot-9 forward represented the Houston Rockets in the NBA’s 2024 Basketball without Borders program, a training camp bringing top international prospects to the U.S. Garmendia’s presence in the Missouri Valley Conference comes with a rejection of offers from Illinois, UCLA and Kansas.
Carlos Harris III also rejected an offer from Illinois to play for the Flames. The Chicago native graduated from Curie (Ill.) High School and signed under previous Flames head coach Luke Yaklich during his junior year in 2023.
Harris was the No. 35-ranked point guard in the country and labeled a “junior star” by the Chicago Sun-Times before his commitment. Although this season marks his debut with the Flames, Harris is no stranger to UIC’s Credit Union 1 Arena, as he was a standout player during last year’s Chicago Elite Classic hosted on the Flames’ home court.
Jayce Nathaniel rounds out the freshmen class for the Flames. Nathaniel graduated from Arizona Compass Preps, the No. 2-ranked basketball program in the U.S., according to MaxPreps. Before his senior season in Arizona, Nathaniel recorded over 1,000 career points in the Georgia Basketball Coaches Associated at Lanier (Ga.) High School. The power forward received offers from Appalachian State, Georgia and Cincinnati before committing to UIC.
