Get to know new Illinois State men鈥檚 head basketball coach Ryan Pedon
NORMAL, Ill. — Ryan Pedon felt like he was in a position to be selective when it came to choosing his next job.
As an assistant coach in the Big Ten Conference, including the last five seasons at Ohio State, Pedon had the resume and the chops. As such, his phone rang occasionally with potential suitors gauging his interest about stepping into a head coach role at a new university.
The answer was always no. Not the right time. Not the right place. And, if he was honest, he liked where he had been calling home since 2017.
Until Illinois State called. His answer this time was a comfortable and convincing yes.
鈥淚 was looking for a job where basketball is important not only to the athletic department, but also the university and the community,鈥� Pedon said. 鈥淚 wanted a place where my family and I would be comfortable, and we could recruit guys we want to coach. This campus and school allow us to do that.鈥�
The 44-year-old Pedon was named the Redbirds鈥� men鈥檚 basketball coach in March, and it has been a whirlwind seven months since that announcement. He, his wife, Stephanie, and their 10-year-old son, Maddox, moved from Columbus, Ohio, to Bloomington-Normal and got familiar with campus and the community. Pedon has lost and gained players through the NCAA transfer portal, hired his staff, set a schedule for the season and hit the recruiting trail.
His team will take the Redbird Arena floor for the first time when ISU hosts an exhibition game Oct. 30 against Division III Wooster, Pedon鈥檚 alma mater.
It has been a 21-year process for Pedon to reach this point. After working as an assistant coach at Ohio State, Butler, Illinois, Toledo and Miami (Ohio), Pedon slides into the head coach鈥檚 seat for the first time in his career seasoned by his Midwestern upbringing and career.
鈥淢y view of this region is deep-rooted,鈥� said Pedon, a native of Ohio. 鈥淧eople here care about basketball, and they appreciate it being played a certain way. I am probably slanted more toward being a little old school in terms of what I value about the game. I think the people of this region identify with that and believe there is a right way to play.鈥�
Pedon vows to make recruiting in Illinois and nearby states a priority for his program. First, though, he wants players who fit his style and value system.
鈥淭he recruiting piece will always start with character,鈥� Pedon said. 鈥淲e wouldn鈥檛 be recruiting them if they weren鈥檛 talented, but their character is something we will never sacrifice. We want young men who we want to be around on a daily basis. I鈥檓 not into guys who are in it for their personal glory. Our vetting process will error on the side of being extreme, because when you鈥檙e with like-minded people, great things can happen.鈥�
Pedon has already added Illinois connections to the 2022-23 roster through the transfer portal. Bloomington High School graduate Colton Sandage joins the Redbirds after transferring from Western Illinois. Meanwhile, former Bolingbrook High School star Darius Burford comes to ISU from Elon. Both Sandage and Burford averaged 13.4 points per game last season.
In total, six players have joined the Redbirds through the portal. Pedon and his influx of new players will be tasked with stopping a skid of three straight losing seasons 鈥� the program鈥檚 lowest point since 1950.
Bigger still, Pedon would like to do what Dan Muller, Tim Jankovich, Porter Moser and Tom Richardson couldn鈥檛 do before him: earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Redbirds鈥� last trip to the Big Dance was in 1998.
鈥淭here is opportunity for growth here,鈥� Pedon said. 鈥淎 lot of people have asked me about the NCAA Tournament. I run to that, not away from it. It is an opportunity; it attracts me even more to this job because it allows us to chase something that will be very special and monumental to this school.鈥�
Pedon wants to plug his team into the community. That has begun already as evidenced by players and coaches hosting youth and adults with disabilities at Redbird Arena for an event called Beautiful Lives Project on a Saturday morning in August.
The event, also hosted by other university athletic programs around the country, helps people with disabilities live their dreams through sports and other programs.
鈥淲e want to build a program that is part of our community where we can make an impact on the community beyond the basketball floor,鈥� Pedon said. 鈥淲e want to allow our actions to speak louder than words.鈥�
The Beautiful Lives Project points to the personal development that Pedon vows to invest in his players on and off the court.
鈥淚t is something that drives me because I like to be able to help young people in the formative parts of their lives,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of them haven鈥檛 been though tough stuff until they get to college. Part of helping and mentoring them is normalizing the struggle that they鈥檙e going to go through at times. That鈥檚 where I think our program can separate itself.鈥�
Pedon knows fans will be champing at the bit ready to see the rubber meet the road. And, Pedon says, it can鈥檛 be done without fans.
鈥淲e need all of them (fans) with us,鈥� Pedon said. 鈥淭o get this program to the point where we see it going and the long-term vision we have for it, it won鈥檛 just be the guys in the locker room or the coaches who do it. It will be everybody.
鈥淥ur community can be such a powerful force. There are people who love Redbird basketball, and we want this to be something you can find in very few places in the country.鈥�
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