Blog #1: The Ryan Pedon Era

They say that progress is like a large ship turning in the ocean, and Redbird Men's Basketball is no different. Under Coach Pedon's leadership, change has been intentional, with a clear path for sustained success. His motto, "You win with people," emphasizes that the players and staff are the top priority. Coach Pedon and his staff excel at finding basketball players who perform well on the court, fit seamlessly into the community and the locker room, and embrace the team's system. The fanbase has fully embraced this culture, largely thanks to the efforts of the coaching staff and the players they have recruited and developed. Remarkably, aside from one player entering the transfer portal, every portal-eligible student-athlete chose to play at Illinois State University (ISU) for the 2025/2026 season. This trend reflects the hard work of the many dedicated individuals behind the scenes who strive to make ISU a desirable destination in Division I basketball. Coach Pedon is talking the talk and walking the walk! The 1998 Club NIL collective and the Bird Fans 4 Ever podcast are two distinct entities that leverage their skills and connections to enhance the Redbirds' brand and support the program. I highly recommend checking out the NIL website (https://empowerthenest.com/1998-club/) and the podcast (http://www.youtube.com/@birdfans4ever335), especially their recent collaboration (https://youtu.be/HxVd-9s5Tbk) discussing the Men's Basketball NIL collective. 

Achieving a 20-win season is a significant milestone in college basketball, indicating consistent success throughout the campaign. Since the 2000/2001 season, Illinois State has finished with 20 or more wins in a season on eight occasions. Notably, each time since 2000, the Redbirds have won 20 or more games, they have qualified for the NIT. The only exception was the 2025 CBI Champion Redbirds Men's Basketball team, which finished with a record of 22-14. After ISU won three games at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL, it marked the first time ISU achieved 20 or more wins since the 2017 MVC Championship team, which won 28 games and advanced to the Second Round of the NIT at home. Additionally, it was the first time in program history that the men's basketball team won a Division I postseason title. 

So, why am I mentioning all of this? Because these statistics clearly show one thing: THE BIRDS ARE BACK, BABY!