UIC to MVC Gaining Traction

[VUGrad1314]

That’s a good addition to The Valley, and it keeps Chicago in the mix as far as media coverage. Heck Valpo will get local coverage at least twice a year now. lol. UIC, should they choose to commit to winning, be a formidable conference member going forward. My question, however, is given the resources why aren’t they more competitive now?...

I mentioned in an earlier post that investing in a program doesn't give the AD the ability to evaluate coaching talent. That was the case with our two prior hoops coaches who were hired by ADs that didn't have that evaluative ability. Our current AD has done a good job in hiring coaches. Our other sports are very competitive and finish near the top of the conference standings.

Basketball will take some time as we all know but one big feather in UIC's cap is that Yaklich knows the MVC and what it takes to succeed here. Many credit him with the great defense of some very good ISUr (that's ISU red shorthand for Illinois State Indiana State is ISUb or ISU blue) teams one of which should have made the NCAA Tournament as an at large but didn't. He should be able to field a competitive team shortly using that knowledge if he has the coaching chops to do well with that talent they could go places in short order.

[VUGrad1314]

Very interesting information in this article.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-baske ... -12-teams/

UIC has been a member of the Horizon League since that league formed in 2001. Prior to that it was in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference since 1994.

How does a prominent national reporter like Norlander not know the MCC and the HL are the same league?

Very salient point. I read that too and was like "Huh? That's the same league."

[Birdfan2018]

That’s a good addition to The Valley, and it keeps Chicago in the mix as far as media coverage. Heck Valpo will get local coverage at least twice a year now. lol. UIC, should they choose to commit to winning, be a formidable conference member going forward. My question, however, is given the resources why aren’t they more competitive now?...

I mentioned in an earlier post that investing in a program doesn't give the AD the ability to evaluate coaching talent. That was the case with our two prior hoops coaches who were hired by ADs that didn't have that evaluative ability. Our current AD has done a good job in hiring coaches. Our other sports are very competitive and finish near the top of the conference standings.

Basketball will take some time as we all know but one big feather in UIC's cap is that Yaklich knows the MVC and what it takes to succeed here. Many credit him with the great defense of some very good ISUr (that's ISU red shorthand for Illinois State Indiana State is ISUb or ISU blue) teams one of which should have made the NCAA Tournament as an at large but didn't. He should be able to field a competitive team shortly using that knowledge if he has the coaching chops to do well with that talent they could go places in short order.

Yaklich left Illinois State for Michigan where they went on to beat Loyola in the semifinals of the Final Four and lost to Villanova in the Championship game in his first season at Michigan.

[Greg]

UIC TO ANNOUNCE significant advancement for Flames Athletics

WHEN: Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 11 a.m. CT

WHAT: A press briefing and community event with a significant announcement regarding the future of UIC and Flames Athletics.

WATCH: The announcement will also stream live on ESPN+.

[BCPanther]

UIC TO ANNOUNCE significant advancement for Flames Athletics

WHEN: Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 11 a.m. CT

WHAT: A press briefing and community event with a significant announcement regarding the future of UIC and Flames Athletics.

WATCH: The announcement will also stream live on ESPN+.

Must be getting Dippin' Dots in the arena. Big day.

[Sir Sci]

UIC TO ANNOUNCE significant advancement for Flames Athletics

WHEN: Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 11 a.m. CT

WHAT: A press briefing and community event with a significant announcement regarding the future of UIC and Flames Athletics.

WATCH: The announcement will also stream live on ESPN+.

Must be getting Dippin' Dots in the arena. Big day.

Hope they have the cotton candy dippin' dots. If some place has cotton candy dippin' dots my wife will always get them.

[05Racer]

UIC TO ANNOUNCE significant advancement for Flames Athletics

WHEN: Wednesday, January 26, 2022, 11 a.m. CT

WHAT: A press briefing and community event with a significant announcement regarding the future of UIC and Flames Athletics.

WATCH: The announcement will also stream live on ESPN+.

Must be getting Dippin' Dots in the arena. Big day.

Hope they have the cotton candy dippin' dots. If some place has cotton candy dippin' dots my wife will always get them.

I live about fifteen miles from the Dippin' Dots factory. They have had an interesting couple of years. Most of their distribution is theaters, sporting events, etc. so the initial wave of the pandemic hit them hard. However, they also got an unexpected opportunity for new business helping with the COVID vaccines. Like the ice cream, the vaccines have to be super cooled and Dippin Dots already had the distribution technology and knowhow to help with this. It may be that some amount of their distribution capacity is still being used for that purpose. Of more recent relevance, there was an explosion at a Dippin Dots factory last July. Didn't really break out into the national press with all the news outlets still focused on the pandemic. Here's a link

https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/ott/special_ ... 8180a.html

They're pretty secretive about their manufacturing process for obvious reasons but it must be pretty dangerous because this is the second explosion they've had in the past few years. Not sure how much that set back their production. They have also been hit by the labor shortage just as much as everybody else. It's particularly bad in this area. Fast food chains are closing dining rooms or closing early. Went to get a sandwich a couple weeks ago only to be confronted by a taped on sign that said "due to lack of employees, we are now closing at 5PM". I figure we'll all be getting our food from robots sooner rather than later.

Between all of the above factors, you may be waiting a while to get your Dippin Dots fix. Sorry to be a bearer of bad news.

[BCPanther]

That's it. I want Murray's invitation rescinded. Immediately.

[Red]

I live about fifteen miles from the Dippin' Dots factory. They have had an interesting couple of years. Most of their distribution is theaters, sporting events, etc. so the initial wave of the pandemic hit them hard. However, they also got an unexpected opportunity for new business helping with the COVID vaccines. Like the ice cream, the vaccines have to be super cooled and Dippin Dots already had the distribution technology and knowhow to help with this. It may be that some amount of their distribution capacity is still being used for that purpose. Of more recent relevance, there was an explosion at a Dippin Dots factory last July. Didn't really break out into the national press with all the news outlets still focused on the pandemic. Here's a link

https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/ott/special_ ... 8180a.html

They're pretty secretive about their manufacturing process for obvious reasons but it must be pretty dangerous because this is the second explosion they've had in the past few years. Not sure how much that set back their production. They have also been hit by the labor shortage just as much as everybody else. It's particularly bad in this area. Fast food chains are closing dining rooms or closing early. Went to get a sandwich a couple weeks ago only to be confronted by a taped on sign that said "due to lack of employees, we are now closing at 5PM". I figure we'll all be getting our food from robots sooner rather than later.

Between all of the above factors, you may be waiting a while to get your Dippin Dots fix. Sorry to be a bearer of bad news.

I never really liked Dippin Dots, but now I have to think the manufacturing must all be a cover for a giant meth factory or something. I mean how the hell is an ice cream factory blowing up?

[05Racer]

I live about fifteen miles from the Dippin' Dots factory. They have had an interesting couple of years. Most of their distribution is theaters, sporting events, etc. so the initial wave of the pandemic hit them hard. However, they also got an unexpected opportunity for new business helping with the COVID vaccines. Like the ice cream, the vaccines have to be super cooled and Dippin Dots already had the distribution technology and knowhow to help with this. It may be that some amount of their distribution capacity is still being used for that purpose. Of more recent relevance, there was an explosion at a Dippin Dots factory last July. Didn't really break out into the national press with all the news outlets still focused on the pandemic. Here's a link

https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/ott/special_ ... 8180a.html

They're pretty secretive about their manufacturing process for obvious reasons but it must be pretty dangerous because this is the second explosion they've had in the past few years. Not sure how much that set back their production. They have also been hit by the labor shortage just as much as everybody else. It's particularly bad in this area. Fast food chains are closing dining rooms or closing early. Went to get a sandwich a couple weeks ago only to be confronted by a taped on sign that said "due to lack of employees, we are now closing at 5PM". I figure we'll all be getting our food from robots sooner rather than later.

Between all of the above factors, you may be waiting a while to get your Dippin Dots fix. Sorry to be a bearer of bad news.

I never really liked Dippin Dots, but now I have to think the manufacturing must all be a cover for a giant meth factory or something. I mean how the hell is an ice cream factory blowing up?

I'm not an engineer or chemist or anything like that, but I would hazard a guess that this explosion and others had something to do with significant quantities of pressurized liquid nitrogen, which is known to be used in the process.