Men's Basketball Recruiting Profiles: UIC

Jimmy Collins loves him some big guys doesn't he? I mean BIG. This recruiting class is no exception.

With the new influx of walk-ons and other unknowns with the UIC program I'll be breaking down the four players I believe will make the biggest impact for the Flames.

There will be lots of new faces in the huddle when UIC opens its season against UIS on November 14th. Will Robo Kreps recognize anybody? Does Jimmy Collins even know all his players names yet? It shouldn't be too hard to find them, they're all BIG.

Starting with the biggest of the big, someone I'll call the Big Show of this recruiting class. K.C. Robbins is a house. No, wait, a HOTEL. And not one of those little red hotels from Monopoly. We're talking 6'11", 270 pounds of Maine Monster. Robbins is going to have to turn that size into production. He is very strong to go along with all that size and coach Collins thinks he has lots of potential. Collins also dropped a gem of a quote when talking about Robbins, saying, "When you run into him you feel pain." Enough said.

Next in line to put a hurtin' on opponents trying to get to the cup will be Louis Green. A product of St. Joseph's, where he played under Gene Pingatore, Green is merely 6'9" and 240 lbs. He's much more athletic than Robbins and can get up and down pretty well for his size. He averaged four blocks/game in high school and should get some weak side opportunities with Big K.C. clogging the middle. Louis is a post player with decent touch but doesn't convert around the basket as much as he should for a man his size.

Brad Birton is the energy guy here. The high-flier to Green and Robbins' ground ‘em pound 'em style. Coach Collins has already raved about his non-stop motor and he'll need to keep his teammates involved. He's super athletic and has a good grasp of the game. Birton is also a winner, he took his JUCO team to the NJCAA DII National Championships. They'll need Birton to be very active on both ends of the floor this season.

Anthony Kelley is the most intriguing player of this group. He's another one of these kids that didn't get AAU exposure because he was a track star. He's long and athletic and has a well-rounded offensive game. He's a good scorer and shooter, but he's electric in the open court. Coach Collins needs to find ways to get this 6'6" guard in the open court. If Spencer Stewart comes back, Kelley and Robo Kreps will be the biggest beneficiaries. He still needs to work on his defense but his length will be an immediate asset in a zone. I spoke with Anthony's high school coach, Nate Drye, about his game and how it will translate to the DI level.



What will Jimmy do with all this size? Expect a lot of zone. Coach Collins may be the best teacher of zone defense in the Horizon League. They'll use all that length and mass to clog the lane and make teams beat them with contested jumpers.

This is recruiting profile 5 of 10 that will be released over the next two weeks. Monday: Wright State