Martell Bailey
Encyclopedia
Martell Bailey is an American basketball player who is most notable for his time spent as point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

 for the UIC Flames men's basketball
UIC Flames men's basketball
The UIC Flames men's basketball team represents the University of Illinois at Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League, in which it has competed since the 1994-95 season. The Flames are currently coached by Howard Moore.-NCAA...

 team from 2001 to 2004. He was the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season assists leader and holds the Horizon League
Horizon League
The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....

 records for single-season and career assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...

 in conference games. He was a two-time second team All-Horizon League selection, and he led the Flames to three of the four post season tournaments they have ever participated in, including two of their three NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments. Bailey's three seasons at UIC are the school's only consecutive 20-win seasons and culminated with a school record 24 wins. He was not accorded a fourth year of eligibility for academic reasons.

He is the younger brother, crosstown Horizon League foe and former George Westinghouse College Prep teammate of David Bailey
David Bailey (basketball)
David Bailey is an American basketball player who is most notable for his time spent as point guard for the Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team from 1999 to 2003. He was a three-time All-Horizon League selection , a Horizon League scoring champion, a Horizon League assists champion and Horizon...

. The brothers' tenure in the league overlapped for two seasons, including one in which they were both All-League honorees. In head-to-head competition, Martell and the Flames defeated David and the Ramblers
Loyola Ramblers men's basketball
The Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represents Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League. Loyola joined that league in the 1979-1980 season, when the league was founded. The Ramblers are currently coached by...

 four out of five times, including a Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The Horizon League men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1980. The winner of the tournament is designated the Horizon League Tournament Champion and receives the conference's automatic...

 championship game in which both were key performers.

As a high school basketball player, he was a three-time Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

boys basketball Athlete of the Week who earned multiple All-State recognitions and led his high school basketball teams to a 132–3 record during his career. As a senior, he played for the first high school basketball team to achieve a sellout at the United Center
United Center
The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...

. The team did so in the game in which they won the Chicago Public School League basketball tournament. During the season, the team had been ranked number one by USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

. He was also a member of a Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

 junior national championship team.

High School

Bailey played on freshman and sophomore teams that went a combined 70–0. Bailey was the leading scorer in the 1998 championship game of the Chicago Public School League sophomore team competition against Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School is a highly selective Chicago public school that opened its doors to students on September 3, 1975 as the city's first public magnet high school...

.

As a junior, he moved up to the varsity team that was ranked 2nd in the city to King College Prep High School
King College Prep High School
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. College Preparatory High School is a high school located in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood on Drexel Blvd., about one kilometer from Lake Michigan...

 by the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...

. It included his brother David who was a senior as well as juniors Cedrick Banks
Cedrick Banks
Cedrick Banks is an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard, he currently plays for Entente Orléanaise in France.-High school and college:Banks starred at Westinghouse High School in Chicago...

 and Dennis Trammell
Dennis Trammell
Dennis Trammell , is a professional basketball player who played for the Canterbury Rams in the New Zealand National Basketball League ....

. By December the team had a 6–0 record and had taken over the top spot in the rankings for the Chicago metropolitan area. That year, he earned his first Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

boys basketball Athlete of the Week recognitions when he earned the MVP award in the 16-team December 1998 Chicago Public Schools Invitational for his 4-game efforts for the varsity team
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...

. The team reached the semifinals of the Chicago Public School League championships in 1999 with the two brothers starting and achieved a 31–1 record. Following the season, David and Banks were first team All-Chicago Public School League and Martell was second team. That summer, Martell and Banks were named to the Amateur Athletic Union All-American team during the national junior boys championships. The team won the national championships, but it included Westinghouse's starting five players, which violated the Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...

 rule of a coach directing more than two of his players in a summer league.

After David graduated, with Martell, Banks and Trammell, Westinghouse began the season as the top ranked team in the city by the Chicago Sun-Times in mid-November. The team was ranked fifth in the nation according to some polls. As a result of the IHSA violation, it had to forfeit two of its three preseason weeks of practice, and coach Chris Head was suspended for November and December. Later that month, Bailey and Banks were selected as preseason Top 50 players by the Sun-Times. At th At the beginning of December, Bailey was selected to write a weekly diary for the Chicago Sun-Times. He hit the game-winning shot with 3.3 seconds left to cap a comeback from an 8-point deficit with 2:50 remaining against the nationally-ranked number one team, Oak Hill Academy
Oak Hill Academy
Oak Hill Academy may refer to:*Oak Hill Academy , Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, a private Baptist-affiliated boarding school famous for producing basketball stars...

, during the December 1999 Coca-Cola; KMOX Shootout at the Kiel Center. Entering the game, Westinghouse was ranked number four in the nation by USA Today, but Oak Hill had not lost a game in two years. After following that upset by winning two tournaments, Westinghouse was moved up to the top of the national rankings. However, the team subsequently lost to the locally unranked Curie Metropolitan High School
Curie Metropolitan High School
Curie Metropolitan High School is a public 4-year magnet high school located in the Archer Heights neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The school has a Technical, Performing Arts, and International Baccalaureate Programme...

. Martell led Westinghouse to the 2000 Public School League finals and a runner-up finish in the 2000 Class AA Illinois State high school basketball championships, earning consecutive high school basketball Athlete of the Week and co-Athlete of the Week (with teammate Banks) recognitions by the Chicago Tribune. In the Public School League finals in which they defeated Whitney Young 82–60, Westinghouse became the first high school team to sell out the United Center
United Center
The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...

 with over 20,000 in attendance, surpassing the previous Public School League championship game attendance record of 12,000. He was a first team All-State selection by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (along with Banks) and had a 3.7 GPA The Chicago Sun-Times named Bailey and Banks to the Class AA All-State team that included Darius Miles
Darius Miles
Darius LaVar Miles is an American professional basketball player.The , small forward was selected directly out of high school by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 3rd overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft...

, Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He was born in Harvey, Illinois...

, Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league...

, TJ Cummings
TJ Cummings
Terry Cummings Jr. is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. He is the son of former NBA player Terry Cummings and graduate of Homewood-Floosmoor High School. TJ Cummings played collegiately at UCLA for four years...

, Roger Powell, Jr.
Roger Powell (basketball)
Roger Powell Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played collegiately at the University of Illinois from 2001–2005, after having attended Joliet High School, with a 2001 graduation. Powell played the forward position for his high school and in college...

 and Jitim Young
Jitim Young
Jitim Young is an American basketball player. Young attended Northwestern University and gained notoriety for his play at the collegiate level.-High school career:...

. Banks was selected as the Player of the Year and both were part of Chicago's team that defeated a team of New York City high school all-stars in the April 2000 Wendy's Shootout. Bailey, who was a second team All-State selection by some organizations, selected an offer to stay at home at University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...

 and compete in the conference with his brother over offers from Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The program competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. The school holds two national championships in...

 and Texas-El Paso
UTEP Miners men's basketball
The UTEP Miners basketball team is an NCAA Division I men's college basketball team competing in the Conference USA. Home games are played at Don Haskins Center, located on University of Texas at El Paso's campus in El Paso.-Don Haskins Center:...

. He finished his high school career with a record of 132–3.

College

At first, it appeared that Bailey had met his academic hurdles to play for UIC, although teammate Banks who also chose UIC did not. However, Bailey sat out the 2000–01 season for academic reasons. His enrollment classification was as an academic non-predictors.

During the season, Bailey he won the home contest against with a buzzer beater. He earned 2001–02 Horizon League All-Newcomer Team recognition. As a sophomore in 2001–02, he split time at point guard. Although the Bailey brothers played each other as Horizon League foes several times, the most notable was the 2002 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
2002 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2002 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament took place at the end of the 2001–02 regular season. The tournament was hosted by Cleveland State University.-Seeds:...

 where the fifth-seeded Ramblers (17-12) and sixth-seeded Flames (19-13) opposed each other in the championship game for a 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 2002, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Atlanta, Georgia...

 invitation with the entire family in attendance at the Cleveland State Convocation Center. Although David made the All-Tournament team, younger brother Martell's team prevailed by one point in overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...

, with Martell making a steal
Steal (basketball)
In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...

 of a pass by David with 13 seconds remaining. David scored 35 points, while Martell only contributed 3 field goals
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...

, but all of Martell's field goals came in overtime, including one following the crucial steal. The win gave Martell's team a 2–1 edge in the season series (previously Loyola had prevailed on January 17 by 11 at its home arena, the Gentile Center, and UIC rebounded on February 16 with a 13-point victory at its UIC Pavilion
UIC Pavilion
The UIC Pavilion is a 6,958-seat multi-purpose arena, located at 525 S. Racine Street on the West Side in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which opened in 1982. It is home to the University of Illinois at Chicago Flames basketball team and the former home of the Chicago Sky WNBA team...

). Then, the 15th-seeded Flames played the 2nd-seeded Oklahoma Sooners
2001–02 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team
The 2001–02 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma. The Head Coach was Kelvin Sampson. The team played its home games in the Lloyd Noble Center and was a member of the Big 12 Conference.-NCAA basketball tournament:...

, losing by a 71–63 margin to a team led by Hollis Price
Hollis Price
Hollis Price is an American professional basketball player.- College career :Price played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2003. He helped to lead the Sooners to the Final Four in 2002...

 and Aaron McGhee
Aaron McGhee
Aaron DeShon McGhee is an American professional basketball forward, currently playing for Khimik Yuzhny in Ukrainian League.- College career :...

.

He was named Horizon League Player of the Week on December 2, 2002. Martell helped UIC sweep the season series against David's Loyola team with a January 22 81–77 home victory and a February 27 66–65 road victory. After finishing 20–14 in 2002, the team achieved consecutive 20 win seasons for the first time in 2003. The team qualified for the 2003 National Invitation Tournament
2003 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Texas Tech 71, Minnesota 61St. John's later vacated the title due to an ineligible player....

 where they opposed the and fell by a 63–62 margin. Bailey led all players in the game with four assists. He earned 2002–03 2nd team All-Horizon League recognition along with his brother. He was the Horizon League assists champion with 244 assists in 30 games for a 8.1 assist per game average, which led all of NCAA Division I. He established Horizon League single season assists record for Horizon League games during the 2002–03 with a total of 141.

Then the following season, he scored his career high on senior night with a 22-point performance during the 10th game of a winning streak against on February 28, 2004. The team extended the streak to 12 consecutive games including the 2004 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
2004 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament took place at the end of the 2003–04 regular season. The better seed hosted each first round match. Butler hosted the second round and semifinals. As the highest remaining seed, Milwaukee hosted the championship game.-Seeds:All Horizon League...

 championship game against undefeated (in conference) to earn a bid in the 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...

. In the tournament, the 13th-seeded Flames lost to the 4th seeded Kansas Jayhawks
2003–04 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
The 2003–04 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2003-04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Jayhawks' 106th basketball season. The head coach was Bill Self, who served his 1st year...

 by a 78–53 margin. He repeated as a 2003–04 2nd team All-Horizon League selection. He also repeated as the Horizon League assists champion with 250 in 32 games for a 7.8 assist per game average, which ranked second the following season. He also earned Horizon League All-Defensive Team recognition. He established the Horizon League career assists record for Horizon League games over the course of his 2001–04 career with a total of 354.

In his three seasons, the Flames won 20, 21 and a school-record 24 games in consecutive seasons. His original enrollment classification had made him ineligible for his first season. The National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 allows a non-predictor a fourth year of eligibility if he graduates in four years. However, Bailey was still pursuing his degree in Fall 2004. Thus, he was not granted a fourth year of eligibility and served the 2004–05 team as a student assistant coach. Although Bailey holds significant Horizon League records, he trails Craig Lathen
Craig Lathen
Craig "Cubby" Lathen is an American basketball player who is most notable for his time spent as point guard for the UIC Flames men's basketball team in the early 1980s...

, who played for UIC for four years when they were part of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, which became the Mid-Continent Conference and is now known as The Summit League, in career (755–656), single-season (274–250) and single-game (17–15) assists.

Personal

Bailey's family included his mother, Linda Riley, his father, David Bailey, two older brothers and younger sister, Dakita.

External links

  • Bailey at ESPN
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

  • College stats at Sports-reference.com

Martell Bailey is an American basketball player who is most notable for his time spent as point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

 for the UIC Flames men's basketball
UIC Flames men's basketball
The UIC Flames men's basketball team represents the University of Illinois at Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League, in which it has competed since the 1994-95 season. The Flames are currently coached by Howard Moore.-NCAA...

 team from 2001 to 2004. He was the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season assists leader and holds the Horizon League
Horizon League
The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....

 records for single-season and career assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...

 in conference games. He was a two-time second team All-Horizon League selection, and he led the Flames to three of the four post season tournaments they have ever participated in, including two of their three NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments. Bailey's three seasons at UIC are the school's only consecutive 20-win seasons and culminated with a school record 24 wins. He was not accorded a fourth year of eligibility for academic reasons.

He is the younger brother, crosstown Horizon League foe and former George Westinghouse College Prep teammate of David Bailey
David Bailey (basketball)
David Bailey is an American basketball player who is most notable for his time spent as point guard for the Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team from 1999 to 2003. He was a three-time All-Horizon League selection , a Horizon League scoring champion, a Horizon League assists champion and Horizon...

. The brothers' tenure in the league overlapped for two seasons, including one in which they were both All-League honorees. In head-to-head competition, Martell and the Flames defeated David and the Ramblers
Loyola Ramblers men's basketball
The Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represents Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League. Loyola joined that league in the 1979-1980 season, when the league was founded. The Ramblers are currently coached by...

 four out of five times, including a Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The Horizon League men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1980. The winner of the tournament is designated the Horizon League Tournament Champion and receives the conference's automatic...

 championship game in which both were key performers.

As a high school basketball player, he was a three-time Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

boys basketball Athlete of the Week who earned multiple All-State recognitions and led his high school basketball teams to a 132–3 record during his career. As a senior, he played for the first high school basketball team to achieve a sellout at the United Center
United Center
The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...

. The team did so in the game in which they won the Chicago Public School League basketball tournament. During the season, the team had been ranked number one by USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

. He was also a member of a Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

 junior national championship team.

High School

Bailey played on freshman and sophomore teams that went a combined 70–0. Bailey was the leading scorer in the 1998 championship game of the Chicago Public School League sophomore team competition against Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School is a highly selective Chicago public school that opened its doors to students on September 3, 1975 as the city's first public magnet high school...

.

As a junior, he moved up to the varsity team that was ranked 2nd in the city to King College Prep High School
King College Prep High School
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. College Preparatory High School is a high school located in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood on Drexel Blvd., about one kilometer from Lake Michigan...

 by the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...

. It included his brother David who was a senior as well as juniors Cedrick Banks
Cedrick Banks
Cedrick Banks is an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard, he currently plays for Entente Orléanaise in France.-High school and college:Banks starred at Westinghouse High School in Chicago...

 and Dennis Trammell
Dennis Trammell
Dennis Trammell , is a professional basketball player who played for the Canterbury Rams in the New Zealand National Basketball League ....

. By December the team had a 6–0 record and had taken over the top spot in the rankings for the Chicago metropolitan area. That year, he earned his first Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

boys basketball Athlete of the Week recognitions when he earned the MVP award in the 16-team December 1998 Chicago Public Schools Invitational for his 4-game efforts for the varsity team
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...

. The team reached the semifinals of the Chicago Public School League championships in 1999 with the two brothers starting and achieved a 31–1 record. Following the season, David and Banks were first team All-Chicago Public School League and Martell was second team. That summer, Martell and Banks were named to the Amateur Athletic Union All-American team during the national junior boys championships. The team won the national championships, but it included Westinghouse's starting five players, which violated the Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...

 rule of a coach directing more than two of his players in a summer league.

After David graduated, with Martell, Banks and Trammell, Westinghouse began the season as the top ranked team in the city by the Chicago Sun-Times in mid-November. The team was ranked fifth in the nation according to some polls. As a result of the IHSA violation, it had to forfeit two of its three preseason weeks of practice, and coach Chris Head was suspended for November and December. Later that month, Bailey and Banks were selected as preseason Top 50 players by the Sun-Times. At th At the beginning of December, Bailey was selected to write a weekly diary for the Chicago Sun-Times. He hit the game-winning shot with 3.3 seconds left to cap a comeback from an 8-point deficit with 2:50 remaining against the nationally-ranked number one team, Oak Hill Academy
Oak Hill Academy
Oak Hill Academy may refer to:*Oak Hill Academy , Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, a private Baptist-affiliated boarding school famous for producing basketball stars...

, during the December 1999 Coca-Cola; KMOX Shootout at the Kiel Center. Entering the game, Westinghouse was ranked number four in the nation by USA Today, but Oak Hill had not lost a game in two years. After following that upset by winning two tournaments, Westinghouse was moved up to the top of the national rankings. However, the team subsequently lost to the locally unranked Curie Metropolitan High School
Curie Metropolitan High School
Curie Metropolitan High School is a public 4-year magnet high school located in the Archer Heights neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The school has a Technical, Performing Arts, and International Baccalaureate Programme...

. Martell led Westinghouse to the 2000 Public School League finals and a runner-up finish in the 2000 Class AA Illinois State high school basketball championships, earning consecutive high school basketball Athlete of the Week and co-Athlete of the Week (with teammate Banks) recognitions by the Chicago Tribune. In the Public School League finals in which they defeated Whitney Young 82–60, Westinghouse became the first high school team to sell out the United Center
United Center
The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...

 with over 20,000 in attendance, surpassing the previous Public School League championship game attendance record of 12,000. He was a first team All-State selection by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (along with Banks) and had a 3.7 GPA The Chicago Sun-Times named Bailey and Banks to the Class AA All-State team that included Darius Miles
Darius Miles
Darius LaVar Miles is an American professional basketball player.The , small forward was selected directly out of high school by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 3rd overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft...

, Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He was born in Harvey, Illinois...

, Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league...

, TJ Cummings
TJ Cummings
Terry Cummings Jr. is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. He is the son of former NBA player Terry Cummings and graduate of Homewood-Floosmoor High School. TJ Cummings played collegiately at UCLA for four years...

, Roger Powell, Jr.
Roger Powell (basketball)
Roger Powell Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played collegiately at the University of Illinois from 2001–2005, after having attended Joliet High School, with a 2001 graduation. Powell played the forward position for his high school and in college...

 and Jitim Young
Jitim Young
Jitim Young is an American basketball player. Young attended Northwestern University and gained notoriety for his play at the collegiate level.-High school career:...

. Banks was selected as the Player of the Year and both were part of Chicago's team that defeated a team of New York City high school all-stars in the April 2000 Wendy's Shootout. Bailey, who was a second team All-State selection by some organizations, selected an offer to stay at home at University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...

 and compete in the conference with his brother over offers from Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The program competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. The school holds two national championships in...

 and Texas-El Paso
UTEP Miners men's basketball
The UTEP Miners basketball team is an NCAA Division I men's college basketball team competing in the Conference USA. Home games are played at Don Haskins Center, located on University of Texas at El Paso's campus in El Paso.-Don Haskins Center:...

. He finished his high school career with a record of 132–3.

College

At first, it appeared that Bailey had met his academic hurdles to play for UIC, although teammate Banks who also chose UIC did not. However, Bailey sat out the 2000–01 season for academic reasons. His enrollment classification was as an academic non-predictors.

During the season, Bailey he won the home contest against with a buzzer beater. He earned 2001–02 Horizon League All-Newcomer Team recognition. As a sophomore in 2001–02, he split time at point guard. Although the Bailey brothers played each other as Horizon League foes several times, the most notable was the 2002 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
2002 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2002 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament took place at the end of the 2001–02 regular season. The tournament was hosted by Cleveland State University.-Seeds:...

 where the fifth-seeded Ramblers (17-12) and sixth-seeded Flames (19-13) opposed each other in the championship game for a 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 2002, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Atlanta, Georgia...

 invitation with the entire family in attendance at the Cleveland State Convocation Center. Although David made the All-Tournament team, younger brother Martell's team prevailed by one point in overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...

, with Martell making a steal
Steal (basketball)
In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...

 of a pass by David with 13 seconds remaining. David scored 35 points, while Martell only contributed 3 field goals
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...

, but all of Martell's field goals came in overtime, including one following the crucial steal. The win gave Martell's team a 2–1 edge in the season series (previously Loyola had prevailed on January 17 by 11 at its home arena, the Gentile Center, and UIC rebounded on February 16 with a 13-point victory at its UIC Pavilion
UIC Pavilion
The UIC Pavilion is a 6,958-seat multi-purpose arena, located at 525 S. Racine Street on the West Side in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which opened in 1982. It is home to the University of Illinois at Chicago Flames basketball team and the former home of the Chicago Sky WNBA team...

). Then, the 15th-seeded Flames played the 2nd-seeded Oklahoma Sooners
2001–02 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team
The 2001–02 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma. The Head Coach was Kelvin Sampson. The team played its home games in the Lloyd Noble Center and was a member of the Big 12 Conference.-NCAA basketball tournament:...

, losing by a 71–63 margin to a team led by Hollis Price
Hollis Price
Hollis Price is an American professional basketball player.- College career :Price played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2003. He helped to lead the Sooners to the Final Four in 2002...

 and Aaron McGhee
Aaron McGhee
Aaron DeShon McGhee is an American professional basketball forward, currently playing for Khimik Yuzhny in Ukrainian League.- College career :...

.

He was named Horizon League Player of the Week on December 2, 2002. Martell helped UIC sweep the season series against David's Loyola team with a January 22 81–77 home victory and a February 27 66–65 road victory. After finishing 20–14 in 2002, the team achieved consecutive 20 win seasons for the first time in 2003. The team qualified for the 2003 National Invitation Tournament
2003 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Texas Tech 71, Minnesota 61St. John's later vacated the title due to an ineligible player....

 where they opposed the and fell by a 63–62 margin. Bailey led all players in the game with four assists. He earned 2002–03 2nd team All-Horizon League recognition along with his brother. He was the Horizon League assists champion with 244 assists in 30 games for a 8.1 assist per game average, which led all of NCAA Division I. He established Horizon League single season assists record for Horizon League games during the 2002–03 with a total of 141.

Then the following season, he scored his career high on senior night with a 22-point performance during the 10th game of a winning streak against on February 28, 2004. The team extended the streak to 12 consecutive games including the 2004 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
2004 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament took place at the end of the 2003–04 regular season. The better seed hosted each first round match. Butler hosted the second round and semifinals. As the highest remaining seed, Milwaukee hosted the championship game.-Seeds:All Horizon League...

 championship game against undefeated (in conference) to earn a bid in the 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...

. In the tournament, the 13th-seeded Flames lost to the 4th seeded Kansas Jayhawks
2003–04 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
The 2003–04 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2003-04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Jayhawks' 106th basketball season. The head coach was Bill Self, who served his 1st year...

 by a 78–53 margin. He repeated as a 2003–04 2nd team All-Horizon League selection. He also repeated as the Horizon League assists champion with 250 in 32 games for a 7.8 assist per game average, which ranked second the following season. He also earned Horizon League All-Defensive Team recognition. He established the Horizon League career assists record for Horizon League games over the course of his 2001–04 career with a total of 354.

In his three seasons, the Flames won 20, 21 and a school-record 24 games in consecutive seasons. His original enrollment classification had made him ineligible for his first season. The National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 allows a non-predictor a fourth year of eligibility if he graduates in four years. However, Bailey was still pursuing his degree in Fall 2004. Thus, he was not granted a fourth year of eligibility and served the 2004–05 team as a student assistant coach. Although Bailey holds significant Horizon League records, he trails Craig Lathen
Craig Lathen
Craig "Cubby" Lathen is an American basketball player who is most notable for his time spent as point guard for the UIC Flames men's basketball team in the early 1980s...

, who played for UIC for four years when they were part of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, which became the Mid-Continent Conference and is now known as The Summit League, in career (755–656), single-season (274–250) and single-game (17–15) assists.

Personal

Bailey's family included his mother, Linda Riley, his father, David Bailey, two older brothers and younger sister, Dakita.

External links

  • Bailey at ESPN
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

  • College stats at Sports-reference.com

Martell Bailey is an American basketball player who is most notable for his time spent as point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

 for the UIC Flames men's basketball
UIC Flames men's basketball
The UIC Flames men's basketball team represents the University of Illinois at Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League, in which it has competed since the 1994-95 season. The Flames are currently coached by Howard Moore.-NCAA...

 team from 2001 to 2004. He was the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season assists leader and holds the Horizon League
Horizon League
The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....

 records for single-season and career assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...

 in conference games. He was a two-time second team All-Horizon League selection, and he led the Flames to three of the four post season tournaments they have ever participated in, including two of their three NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments. Bailey's three seasons at UIC are the school's only consecutive 20-win seasons and culminated with a school record 24 wins. He was not accorded a fourth year of eligibility for academic reasons.

He is the younger brother, crosstown Horizon League foe and former George Westinghouse College Prep teammate of David Bailey
David Bailey (basketball)
David Bailey is an American basketball player who is most notable for his time spent as point guard for the Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team from 1999 to 2003. He was a three-time All-Horizon League selection , a Horizon League scoring champion, a Horizon League assists champion and Horizon...

. The brothers' tenure in the league overlapped for two seasons, including one in which they were both All-League honorees. In head-to-head competition, Martell and the Flames defeated David and the Ramblers
Loyola Ramblers men's basketball
The Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represents Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League. Loyola joined that league in the 1979-1980 season, when the league was founded. The Ramblers are currently coached by...

 four out of five times, including a Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The Horizon League men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1980. The winner of the tournament is designated the Horizon League Tournament Champion and receives the conference's automatic...

 championship game in which both were key performers.

As a high school basketball player, he was a three-time Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

boys basketball Athlete of the Week who earned multiple All-State recognitions and led his high school basketball teams to a 132–3 record during his career. As a senior, he played for the first high school basketball team to achieve a sellout at the United Center
United Center
The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...

. The team did so in the game in which they won the Chicago Public School League basketball tournament. During the season, the team had been ranked number one by USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

. He was also a member of a Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

 junior national championship team.

High School

Bailey played on freshman and sophomore teams that went a combined 70–0. Bailey was the leading scorer in the 1998 championship game of the Chicago Public School League sophomore team competition against Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School is a highly selective Chicago public school that opened its doors to students on September 3, 1975 as the city's first public magnet high school...

.

As a junior, he moved up to the varsity team that was ranked 2nd in the city to King College Prep High School
King College Prep High School
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. College Preparatory High School is a high school located in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood on Drexel Blvd., about one kilometer from Lake Michigan...

 by the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...

. It included his brother David who was a senior as well as juniors Cedrick Banks
Cedrick Banks
Cedrick Banks is an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard, he currently plays for Entente Orléanaise in France.-High school and college:Banks starred at Westinghouse High School in Chicago...

 and Dennis Trammell
Dennis Trammell
Dennis Trammell , is a professional basketball player who played for the Canterbury Rams in the New Zealand National Basketball League ....

. By December the team had a 6–0 record and had taken over the top spot in the rankings for the Chicago metropolitan area. That year, he earned his first Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...

boys basketball Athlete of the Week recognitions when he earned the MVP award in the 16-team December 1998 Chicago Public Schools Invitational for his 4-game efforts for the varsity team
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...

. The team reached the semifinals of the Chicago Public School League championships in 1999 with the two brothers starting and achieved a 31–1 record. Following the season, David and Banks were first team All-Chicago Public School League and Martell was second team. That summer, Martell and Banks were named to the Amateur Athletic Union All-American team during the national junior boys championships. The team won the national championships, but it included Westinghouse's starting five players, which violated the Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...

 rule of a coach directing more than two of his players in a summer league.

After David graduated, with Martell, Banks and Trammell, Westinghouse began the season as the top ranked team in the city by the Chicago Sun-Times in mid-November. The team was ranked fifth in the nation according to some polls. As a result of the IHSA violation, it had to forfeit two of its three preseason weeks of practice, and coach Chris Head was suspended for November and December. Later that month, Bailey and Banks were selected as preseason Top 50 players by the Sun-Times. At th At the beginning of December, Bailey was selected to write a weekly diary for the Chicago Sun-Times. He hit the game-winning shot with 3.3 seconds left to cap a comeback from an 8-point deficit with 2:50 remaining against the nationally-ranked number one team, Oak Hill Academy
Oak Hill Academy
Oak Hill Academy may refer to:*Oak Hill Academy , Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, a private Baptist-affiliated boarding school famous for producing basketball stars...

, during the December 1999 Coca-Cola; KMOX Shootout at the Kiel Center. Entering the game, Westinghouse was ranked number four in the nation by USA Today, but Oak Hill had not lost a game in two years. After following that upset by winning two tournaments, Westinghouse was moved up to the top of the national rankings. However, the team subsequently lost to the locally unranked Curie Metropolitan High School
Curie Metropolitan High School
Curie Metropolitan High School is a public 4-year magnet high school located in the Archer Heights neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The school has a Technical, Performing Arts, and International Baccalaureate Programme...

. Martell led Westinghouse to the 2000 Public School League finals and a runner-up finish in the 2000 Class AA Illinois State high school basketball championships, earning consecutive high school basketball Athlete of the Week and co-Athlete of the Week (with teammate Banks) recognitions by the Chicago Tribune. In the Public School League finals in which they defeated Whitney Young 82–60, Westinghouse became the first high school team to sell out the United Center
United Center
The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in Chicago. It is named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League...

 with over 20,000 in attendance, surpassing the previous Public School League championship game attendance record of 12,000. He was a first team All-State selection by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (along with Banks) and had a 3.7 GPA The Chicago Sun-Times named Bailey and Banks to the Class AA All-State team that included Darius Miles
Darius Miles
Darius LaVar Miles is an American professional basketball player.The , small forward was selected directly out of high school by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 3rd overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft...

, Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He was born in Harvey, Illinois...

, Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. nicknamed Flash or D-Wade, is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat. Awarded 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Wade has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league...

, TJ Cummings
TJ Cummings
Terry Cummings Jr. is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. He is the son of former NBA player Terry Cummings and graduate of Homewood-Floosmoor High School. TJ Cummings played collegiately at UCLA for four years...

, Roger Powell, Jr.
Roger Powell (basketball)
Roger Powell Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played collegiately at the University of Illinois from 2001–2005, after having attended Joliet High School, with a 2001 graduation. Powell played the forward position for his high school and in college...

 and Jitim Young
Jitim Young
Jitim Young is an American basketball player. Young attended Northwestern University and gained notoriety for his play at the collegiate level.-High school career:...

. Banks was selected as the Player of the Year and both were part of Chicago's team that defeated a team of New York City high school all-stars in the April 2000 Wendy's Shootout. Bailey, who was a second team All-State selection by some organizations, selected an offer to stay at home at University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...

 and compete in the conference with his brother over offers from Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The program competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. The school holds two national championships in...

 and Texas-El Paso
UTEP Miners men's basketball
The UTEP Miners basketball team is an NCAA Division I men's college basketball team competing in the Conference USA. Home games are played at Don Haskins Center, located on University of Texas at El Paso's campus in El Paso.-Don Haskins Center:...

. He finished his high school career with a record of 132–3.

College

At first, it appeared that Bailey had met his academic hurdles to play for UIC, although teammate Banks who also chose UIC did not. However, Bailey sat out the 2000–01 season for academic reasons. His enrollment classification was as an academic non-predictors.

During the season, Bailey he won the home contest against with a buzzer beater. He earned 2001–02 Horizon League All-Newcomer Team recognition. As a sophomore in 2001–02, he split time at point guard. Although the Bailey brothers played each other as Horizon League foes several times, the most notable was the 2002 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
2002 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2002 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament took place at the end of the 2001–02 regular season. The tournament was hosted by Cleveland State University.-Seeds:...

 where the fifth-seeded Ramblers (17-12) and sixth-seeded Flames (19-13) opposed each other in the championship game for a 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 2002, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Atlanta, Georgia...

 invitation with the entire family in attendance at the Cleveland State Convocation Center. Although David made the All-Tournament team, younger brother Martell's team prevailed by one point in overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...

, with Martell making a steal
Steal (basketball)
In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...

 of a pass by David with 13 seconds remaining. David scored 35 points, while Martell only contributed 3 field goals
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...

, but all of Martell's field goals came in overtime, including one following the crucial steal. The win gave Martell's team a 2–1 edge in the season series (previously Loyola had prevailed on January 17 by 11 at its home arena, the Gentile Center, and UIC rebounded on February 16 with a 13-point victory at its UIC Pavilion
UIC Pavilion
The UIC Pavilion is a 6,958-seat multi-purpose arena, located at 525 S. Racine Street on the West Side in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which opened in 1982. It is home to the University of Illinois at Chicago Flames basketball team and the former home of the Chicago Sky WNBA team...

). Then, the 15th-seeded Flames played the 2nd-seeded Oklahoma Sooners
2001–02 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team
The 2001–02 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma. The Head Coach was Kelvin Sampson. The team played its home games in the Lloyd Noble Center and was a member of the Big 12 Conference.-NCAA basketball tournament:...

, losing by a 71–63 margin to a team led by Hollis Price
Hollis Price
Hollis Price is an American professional basketball player.- College career :Price played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2003. He helped to lead the Sooners to the Final Four in 2002...

 and Aaron McGhee
Aaron McGhee
Aaron DeShon McGhee is an American professional basketball forward, currently playing for Khimik Yuzhny in Ukrainian League.- College career :...

.

He was named Horizon League Player of the Week on December 2, 2002. Martell helped UIC sweep the season series against David's Loyola team with a January 22 81–77 home victory and a February 27 66–65 road victory. After finishing 20–14 in 2002, the team achieved consecutive 20 win seasons for the first time in 2003. The team qualified for the 2003 National Invitation Tournament
2003 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Texas Tech 71, Minnesota 61St. John's later vacated the title due to an ineligible player....

 where they opposed the and fell by a 63–62 margin. Bailey led all players in the game with four assists. He earned 2002–03 2nd team All-Horizon League recognition along with his brother. He was the Horizon League assists champion with 244 assists in 30 games for a 8.1 assist per game average, which led all of NCAA Division I. He established Horizon League single season assists record for Horizon League games during the 2002–03 with a total of 141.

Then the following season, he scored his career high on senior night with a 22-point performance during the 10th game of a winning streak against on February 28, 2004. The team extended the streak to 12 consecutive games including the 2004 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
2004 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament took place at the end of the 2003–04 regular season. The better seed hosted each first round match. Butler hosted the second round and semifinals. As the highest remaining seed, Milwaukee hosted the championship game.-Seeds:All Horizon League...

 championship game against undefeated (in conference) to earn a bid in the 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...

. In the tournament, the 13th-seeded Flames lost to the 4th seeded Kansas Jayhawks
2003–04 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
The 2003–04 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2003-04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Jayhawks' 106th basketball season. The head coach was Bill Self, who served his 1st year...

 by a 78–53 margin. He repeated as a 2003–04 2nd team All-Horizon League selection. He also repeated as the Horizon League assists champion with 250 in 32 games for a 7.8 assist per game average, which ranked second the following season. He also earned Horizon League All-Defensive Team recognition. He established the Horizon League career assists record for Horizon League games over the course of his 2001–04 career with a total of 354.

In his three seasons, the Flames won 20, 21 and a school-record 24 games in consecutive seasons. His original enrollment classification had made him ineligible for his first season. The National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 allows a non-predictor a fourth year of eligibility if he graduates in four years. However, Bailey was still pursuing his degree in Fall 2004. Thus, he was not granted a fourth year of eligibility and served the 2004–05 team as a student assistant coach. Although Bailey holds significant Horizon League records, he trails Craig Lathen
Craig Lathen
Craig "Cubby" Lathen is an American basketball player who is most notable for his time spent as point guard for the UIC Flames men's basketball team in the early 1980s...

, who played for UIC for four years when they were part of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, which became the Mid-Continent Conference and is now known as The Summit League, in career (755–656), single-season (274–250) and single-game (17–15) assists.

Personal

Bailey's family included his mother, Linda Riley, his father, David Bailey, two older brothers and younger sister, Dakita.

External links

  • Bailey at ESPN
    ESPN
    Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

  • College stats at Sports-reference.com

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