Men’s basketball guard earns State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award
UIC men’s basketball senior guard Isaiah Rivera has been selected as the school’s recipient of the 2023-24 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Good Neighbor Award for the winter sports season. Rivera joins men’s soccer standout Juan Gutierrez as the Flames’ honorees for the award this year, with the spring recipient still to be announced.
To earn the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award, student-athletes must retain good academic standing, demonstrate good citizenship through sportsmanship and significant community service involvement and participate in an MVC-sponsored sport during the season of recognition. The Valley honors 36 student-athletes annually (12 each during the fall, winter and spring), with each member institution selecting their respective honorees for the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award.
After recently completing his first season at UIC, Rivera ranks 11th in the MVC in scoring (team-high 15.4 points per game) and third in the Valley in three-point percentage (.416). He posted a team-best 24 double-digit scoring games and nine 20-point games (tying for seventh in the MVC), including five 25-point performances, four of which came in the final six weeks of the season. In addition, Rivera connected on at least one three-pointer in 31 of the Flames’ 32 games this year, including 12 outings with at least three triples. He also posted his first career double-double Feb. 28 in a triple-overtime loss to eventual MVC Tournament champion Drake, finishing with 19 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Off the court, Rivera maintains a 4.0 GPA as he pursues his bachelor’s degree in sociology. A Dean’s List and UIC Scholar-Athlete selection, he also has been active in the community with Special Olympics, Team IMPACT and mentoring the next generation of student-athletes participating on youth basketball and baseball teams in his hometown of Geneseo, Illinois.
For more information on UIC men’s basketball, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_MBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_mbb and @uicflames).
