Howard Moore
	Hometown: Chicago, Ill. Position: Head Coach Experience: Second Season Alma Mater/Year: Wisconsin/1995

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Rarely are things characterized as a perfect fit. Howard Moore and the UIC men's basketball program may be one of the glaring exceptions.

The 10th head coach in the history of the program, Moore recently wrapped up his first season re-building the Flames. The 38-year old grew up on the west side of Chicago, mere blocks from the UIC campus, and attended Taft High School on the northwest side of the city. In his five previous collegiate assistant coaching stops, Moore utilized the Windy City as his main pipeline for recruiting talent.

At his introductory press conference, with his family watching on, Moore gave a passionate, emotional and energetic speech regarding his pride for the UIC job, his happiness being back in Chicago and his vision of championship success for the program's future.

That future began immediately. Moore wasn't hired until late August 2010, an uncharacteristic time for a basketball coach to take over a program. He wasn't afforded the opportunity to participate in individual workouts during the spring. The primary recruiting window had come and gone. The schedule was already completed.

But Moore quickly assembled an experienced staff, kept all 17 players on the roster from the previous season, and embarked on his first campaign, which was just over two months away.

On the court, the Flames showed their potential, and in other instances, their inexperience. UIC went 4-3 in the month of November, the most for a UIC team in the opening month of the season since the 2003-04 campaign. Included in that stretch was a win over Rhode Island, who advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) "Final Four" the previous season.

Three-of the Flames' first four losses in the month of December were by just two points, and the first two setbacks in the Horizon League play came by a combined four points. While it was becoming evident that more talented, experienced teams were finding ways to outlast UIC down the stretch of games, on one special afternoon in mid-December, UIC enjoyed a monumental day in its program's history.

With more than 13,000 fans in attendance at the United Center in Chicago, most of which were donned in orange and blue, UIC shocked 12th ranked Illinois, 57-54. The victory marked UIC's first over the Fighting Illini since the 1990-91 season, and tied for the Flames' biggest win over a ranked opponent in the program's history.

The Flames struggled in Horizon League play, recording a 2-16 record, and finishing the season with a 7-24 mark overall. But those closely following the league made repeated comments about how hard UIC played even despite the results, and about how bright the future was. The foundation had been laid.

Already, Moore has made his loyalty to the city of Chicago well-known. Of his first six signed recruits, four played in the Chicago Public League. He has also been visible in the city, making numerous speaking engagements - in December; Moore was presented the Ricky Byrdsong Award at the Union Club of Chicago. The award annually recognizes men who are good fathers, have reached out and made a difference in the lives of youth and have demonstrated a spiritual dimension to their lives.

Moore came to UIC after spending the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at Wisconsin, his alma mater, under head coach Bo Ryan. Moore joined the Badgers staff in 2005 and helped lead them to the NCAA Tournament in each of his five seasons in Madison. The team advanced past the first round of the Big Dance in each of the last four seasons and produced a memorable Sweet 16 run in 2008.

With Moore on the bench, Wisconsin posted three of the top five winningest seasons in school history, including an historic 2007-08 campaign that saw the Badgers win a school-record 31 games en route to Big Ten regular season and tournament championships.

Before joining the staff in Madison, Moore spent one season as an assistant coach under Jim Whitesell at Horizon League foe Loyola in 2004-05. In his brief tenure in Rogers Park, Moore helped the Ramblers win six of their final seven contests and advance all the way to the Horizon League semifinals. Moore handled off-campus recruiting duties and worked primarily with Loyola's post players in the turnaround season.

In 2003-04 Moore served as an assistant under head coach Tim Buckley at Ball State where he helped shape the Cardinals into the top three-point field goal percentage defensive team in the Mid-American Conference. Off the court, the Chicago native worked to reel in what many recruiting experts dubbed as the best class in the MAC.

Moore spent 2000-2003 as an assistant coach at Bradley University where he worked as a recruiter and mentor to both the guards and post players. The 2001 recruiting class was one of his best, featuring Danny Granger, who eventually blossomed into a 2009 NBA All-Star as a member of the Indiana Pacers. Moore also served as an administrative assistant at Bradley during the 1999-2000 season.

The loyal Chicagoan began his collegiate coaching career in his hometown by serving as an assistant coach at the University of Chicago during the 1998-99 campaign; prior to that he served as an assistant coach for two years at his alma mater, Taft High School.

Moore played in 47 games for Wisconsin from 1990-95. During his playing career under head coaches Steve Yoder, Stu Jackson and Stan Van Gundy, the Badgers earned back-to-back NIT berths in 1991 and 1992.

In 1994, Moore teamed with Michael Finley, Rashard Griffith, Tracy Webster, Andy Kilbride and Brian Kelley to help Wisconsin end a 47-year drought and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1947. In 1994, Moore represented the Big Ten Conference on a team of league all-stars who were selected to compete in Argentina.

Moore and his wife, Jennifer, have two children: a son, Jerell, and a daughter, Jaidyn.

UIC Flames Men's Basketball

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