May 1, 2002

Chicago, Ill. - The UIC men's basketball team added a pair of Chicago area stars to its roster on Wednesday afternoon as 6-foot-7 forward Elliott Poole of Farragut High School and 6-foot-2 guard Mike Smith out of Shepard High School signed National Letter's of Intent with the Flames.

Poole, considered one of the best post players in the state last year, comes to UIC after an outstanding career at Farragut. Last season, he led the Admirals to a 22-10 record, averaging 24 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, three blocks and three assists per game.

"Elliott brings another top 100 player to our program," UIC Head Coach Jimmy Collins said. "He's the type of player who can go inside or outside and defend with great intensity.

"He will be a force on the floor and there is no question that adding Elliott in this class will boost us to a top level."

Poole, who totaled 62 points and 31 rebounds in last year's Chicago Public League Tournament semifinal versus Julian and title-game loss to eventual state champion Westinghouse, earned First-Team All-State honors from both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune in 2002 while he also earned All-Chicago Public League recognition for the second straight season.

Poole joins a virtual public league all-star team with the Flames, which includes Martell Bailey and Cedrick Banks from Westinghouse, Aaron Carr from Lincoln Park, Armond Williams from Austin and Josh Williams from Whitney Young High School.

Smith, the 2002 Star Newspaper Player of the Year, averaged 15.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a senior at Shepard while shooting 51% from the field and 44% from behind the three-point arc.

He helped guide the Astros to a 23-6 record and a regional championship during his final campaign. Shepard advanced all the way to the title game of the Oak Lawn sectional, before Smith's squad bowed out to Joliet despite his 26-point, six-rebound effort in the contest.

"Smith is a versatile athlete who can play the one, two or three spot for us," Collins said. "He excels both on the floor and in the classroom and will bring an element of toughness to our team.

During his career, Smith was a two-time All-SICA East performer, as well as a two-time all-area honoree. He also became just the second player ever to win back-to-back MVP honors at the prestigious Rich South Big Dipper Christmas Tournament after tabbing a a career-best double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds versus Leo in the title game.

Poole and Smith join three other players in the Flames 2003 recruiting class, including fellow freshman Jovan Stefanov, a 6-foot-9 all-state guard/forward out of Leesburg, Fla., and junior college transfers 6-foot-8 Richard Lesko (Danville CC) and 6-foot-10 Josip Petrusic (Treasure Valley CC).