March 26--His entrance into the UIC Pavilion lobby Wednesday was grand and energetic. His plan is, too.
Hair slicked back Pat Riley style, Steve McClain wore a dark navy blue blazer with a maroon tie against a powder blue shirt and was showered with applause from cheerleaders, players and alumni as he jogged into the room before he was introduced as the Flames' 11th men's basketball coach.
And the slimmed-down Michael Douglas doppelganger didn't stand still. Not for a second.
After thanking his family, McClain, 52, immediately addressed his players. He said the team would play fast, play tough and would "win now." He said he would recruit the area hard, improve UIC's schedule.
"I came here to win (Horizon League) championships and get in the NCAA tournament," he said. "Let's not just go; let's go and win.
"I didn't come here to win two or three years from now. ... There is a great past here. We're going to get back to that. Get on board now. It's going to be different."
The Flames haven't been to the NCAA tournament since 2004.
Martell Bailey was there. He was on two of the school's three teams that qualified for the tournament.
"It was very frustrating to watch (the struggles), to hear the negativity," said Bailey, who led the nation in assists in 2002-03. "If you see your coach moving like that, it makes you have energy."
UIC freshman forward/center Tai Odiase said he could feel it even before he met his new coach Wednesday morning.
"We didn't have that last year," he said. "That's what we need."
McClain, a 33-year coaching veteran, spent the last five seasons as an assistant for Tom Crean at Indiana. He also was the head coach at Wyoming for nine years (157-115 with one NCAA tournament appearance and three in the NIT).
He replaces Howard Moore, who was 49-111 in five seasons. McClain said he is working on putting together his staff. The school said it expects he will have it finalized later this week or early next week.
"This is a grand slam hire for UIC," said Bulls general manager Gar Forman, whom the school consulted during the hiring process. "He is an A-plus coach, an A-plus recruiter and he has connections all over the country."
After most of the crowd dispersed, McClain connected face-to-face with his players. His body language screamed "Let's play now." His mouth repeated his earlier message about winning now.
pskrbina@tribpub.com
