Pedon: “We’re Right on The Verge of Taking a Major Step”
Written by Joey LeMaster on March 8, 2024
Image courtesy of Redbird Athletics
ST. LOUIS – It was a tough defeat for Illinois State University as they suffered a 59-53 defeat to the Evansville Purple Aces. Being a seventh seed, the fanbase had expectations of seeing past the first round of the Arch Madness Tournament. However, for the second year in a row, the Redbirds failed to do so. Despite the rough ending, ISU showed promise this season for a better future for the program.
Head Coach Ryan Pedon and his squad won four more games, three more conference games, and brought in more rebounds and assists. They’ve also showcased an improvement in efficiency as they allowed fewer points per game and fewer turnovers per game. Coach Pedon alluded to these numbers showing a better future for Redbirds basketball.
“There’s a lot of tangible improvement that’s been made,” Pedon said. “Some of that is shown through the record and statistics. There’s been some real growth. We’ve begun to form a foundation for what we want to be. I came here to build a program, not a microwave program. I think in year one we were able to assemble some pieces and begin to build a foundation. What you’re seeing now is the infrastructure being built up.”
Despite losing a key piece in Antonio Reeves two seasons ago, the program returned a lot of players from last season. Even though there were a couple of close losses, Coach Pedon is proud of his crew and believes something big is coming for the program.
“I feel good about the growth and progress that we’ve made,” Pedon said. “I think the numbers would bear that. I would have liked to have won more games. We lost many close games this year I would have liked to have won. I’m proud of those guys in the locker room. Rebuilding this program isn’t going to be easy. We’re right on the verge of taking a major step. That’s something we have to address this off-season.”
Outside of Graduate Student Kendall Lewis, the rest of the starters are projected to come back next season, disregarding a transfer. Add this roster with two new recruits Jack Daugherty and Cade Norris, Coach Pedon is excited about the overall future of the program. Despite that, he still thinks there are other additions that need to be made to the squad.
“We’ve got a recruiting class coming in we’re excited for,” Coach Pedon said. “Right now it’s a two-man class. We’ve got to figure out what our roster is going to look like next season. We want to address some needs that we have. There are some needs we’re going to have. We’ve got to figure out what the roster is going to look like. We’re no different than any other program. Change is the flavor of the day. That is where college athletics is at. I feel really strong about the guys we have in our locker room. Do we need to get better? yea. Do we need to get stronger and faster? Yea. Do we need to add pieces to that? Yea. I’ve said this all year, we’re two inches away from being in a new place.”
