Collins: Flames' Mayo the real shooting deal

On a dreary October afternoon, UIC coach Jimmy Collins found himself stuck at the Syracuse, N.Y., airport.

His flight to Chicago had been delayed for several hours, so there's a good chance he was a little weary when he answered his cell phone.

But based on a few of the things Collins said, others might suggest the wait made him crazy.

You've heard of Davidson guard Stephen Curry, right? The preseason All-American who almost shot his team into last year's Final Four?

Collins believes his Flames boast a better shooter than Curry. He believes in his guy Josh Mayo.

"I don't know if Stephen can shoot like Josh," Collins said that October day. "I haven't seen a lot of players who can shoot the basketball like Josh.

"If you put him and Josh in a game of HORSE, Josh would probably win every time."

Could this be? Or could this be hyperbole?

Here's Mayo's case: For a long stretch of last season, the 5-foot-9 senior guard led the nation in 3-point accuracy.

He finished seventh nationally in 3-point shooting as he hit 94 of 200 (47.0 percent).

(Curry, for the record, hit 162 of 369 3-point attempts, or 43.9 percent).

This year, after another grueling off-season in the gym, Mayo finds himself as the Horizon League's preseason player of the year.

He also earned one of the 25 spots on CollegeInsider.com's preseason Midmajor All-American.

One place where Mayo falls short? His willingness to talk up his skills. This is about as far as the Merrillville, Ind., product will go to promote himself.

"Stephen Curry's a great shooter," Mayo said with a laugh. "I know if I was to play HORSE with him, it would be a fierce battle."

But when it comes to his team, picked to finish third in the Horizon League, Mayo doesn't hold back.

"I believe our goal is first to win the conference," he said. "Then get into the (NCAA) tournament. And then, tournament-wise, we want to at least go to the Sweet 16."

Sounds like a trip Curry's team made last winter. Why might the Flames be capable of taking such a ride?

Because there's a good mix of decorated veterans and helpful newcomers that gives UIC rare depth.

Senior center Scott VanderMeer, the Horizon League's defending rebounding and shot-block champ, earned preseason second-team recognition.

Point guard Spencer Stewart returns to the lineup, while sophomores Robo Kreps and Tori Boyd provide a boost of energy and athleticism.

The 6-5 Boyd, in particular, has caught Collins' eye. The lefty leaper posted 15 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's exhibition with Aurora.

"I tell Tori every day, as long as Tori can stay focused on the task at hand, he could be a pro in the future," Collins said. "He's very, very athletic. He's long - and he's aggressive. He has to stay aggressive."

Then there's the Flames' depth. Against Aurora, the starters trailed by 8 when Collins sent in a wave of four newcomers along with holdover Jeremy Buttell.

The subs won their seven-minute stretch 19-9 and pointed the Flames to victory.

True freshman point guard Zavion Neely teamed with Buttell and junior-college transfers Rob Eppinger, Kris Harris and Chris Buchanan to make the run.

"You'd like to have an eight- or nine-man rotation, I guess," Collins said. "I've been going with seven for a number of years.

"Then, when I watch these guys out there and I watch them in practice everyday, it's kind of like - stew. You can throw anybody out there and get something going.

"I'm very, very happy with the makeup of this team. And I'm very, very happy with what they've brought to the table as group. When you've got that, you stand a chance to win."