2021–22 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team

2021–22 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record13–20 (5–13 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Marcus Belcher
  • Rob Johnson
Home arenaDoug Collins Court
at Redbird Arena
Seasons
2021–22 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Northern Iowa 14 4   .778 20 12   .625
Missouri State 13 5   .722 23 11   .676
Drake 13 5   .722 25 11   .694
Loyola Chicago 13 5   .722 25 8   .758
Bradley 11 7   .611 17 14   .548
Southern Illinois 9 9   .500 16 14   .533
Valparaiso 6 12   .333 14 18   .438
Illinois State 5 13   .278 13 20   .394
Indiana State 4 14   .222 11 20   .355
Evansville 2 16   .111 6 24   .200
2022 MVC tournament winner

The 2021–22 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds played their home games at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The team finished the season 13–20, 5–13 in MVC play to finish in eighth place. They defeated Indiana State in the first round of the MVC tournament before losing to Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals.

Head coach Dan Muller was fired by the school after the first 26 games of the season after 10 years as head coach, but the school stated he would finish out the season[1] A day later, Muller announced he would step down immediately and associate head coach Brian Jones was named interim coach for the remainder of the season.[2] On March 7, 2022, the school named Ohio State assistant coach Ryan Pedon as the team's new head coach.

Previous season

[edit]

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Redbirds finished the 2020–21 season 7–18, 4–14 in MVC play to finish in 10th place. In the MVC tournament, they lost to Northern Iowa in the first round.[3]

Offseason

[edit]

Departures

[edit]
Name # Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Comment
DJ Horne 0 G 6'1" 175 Sophomore Raleigh, NC Arizona State
Dedric Boyd 1 G 6'4" 195 RS Junior Brownsville, TN Tennessee State
Dusan Mahorcic 21 F 6'10" 240 Junior Belgrade, Serbia Utah[4]

2021 recruiting class

[edit]
College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Julian Samuels
G
Annawan, IL Central Pointe Christian Academy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg)  
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Elijah Williams
G
Lilburn, GA Providence Christian Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg)  
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Incoming transfers

[edit]
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Prior school
Mark Freeman G 5'11" 165 Junior Memphis, TN Tennessee State
Kendall Lewis F 6'7" 190 Junior Snellville, GA Appalachian State
Ryan Schmitt F 6'11" 225 Junior Van Meter, IA Des Moines Area CC
Liam McChesney F 6'10" 200 RS Sophomore Prince Rupert, BC Utah State

Roster

[edit]
2021–22 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Mark Freeman 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Southwind HS
Tennessee State
Memphis, TN
F 1 Sy Chatman 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Cretin-Derham HS
Massachusetts
Minneapolis, MN
G 2 Josiah Strong 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Champlin Park HS
Navy
Iowa Western Community College
Brooklyn Park, MN
G 3 Howard Fleming Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Male HS Louisville, KY
F 4 Abdou Ndiaye 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr The Nation Christian Academy Louga, Senegal
G 5 Julian Samuels (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Annawan HS
Central Pointe Christian Academy
Annawan, IL
G 10 Emon Washington 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So South Cobb HS Atlanta, GA
F 11 Alston Andrews 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Ocoee HS Detroit, MI
G 12 Antonio Reeves 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Simeon Career Academy Chicago, IL
F 13 Liam McChesney 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Charles Hays Secondary School
Utah State
Prince Rupert, BC
G 14 Nik Stadelman (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Guilford HS Rockford, IL
F 22 Kendall Lewis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Shiloh HS
Appalachian State
Snellville, GA
F 23 Harouna Sissoko 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS So Grand View Christian School Kayes, Mali
G 24 Jayden Johnson (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Batavia HS Batavia, IL
F 25 Alex Kotov 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Montverde Academy
Palm Beach State College
Daytona State College
Moscow, Russia
G 34 Malcolm Miller (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Shelbyville HS Shelbyville, IL
G 45 Elijah Williams (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Providence Christian Academy Lawrenceville, GA
F 50 Ryan Schmitt 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Van Meter HS
Des Moines Area CC
Van Meter, IA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 18, 2021

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 4, 2021*
7:00 pm
Davenport W 85–59 
 34  Reeves   8  Lewis   10  Freeman  Redbird Arena 
Normal, IL
Regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
UNC Wilmington W 68–63  1–0
 29  Reeves   10  Chatman   3  Tied  Redbird Arena (2,642)
Normal, IL
November 12, 2021*
5:00 pm, ESPN3
at Eastern Michigan L 98–103 2OT 1–1
 32  Reeves   13  Chatman   2  Tied  George Gervin
GameAbove Center
 (1,905)
Ypsilanti, MI
November 16, 2021*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Murray State L 65–77  1–2
 19  Reeves   7  Lewis   4  Freeman  Redbird Arena (2,904)
Normal, IL
November 20, 2021*
6:00 pm, ESPN+
Bucknell
Cancún Challenge
Campus Game
W 105–100 OT 2–2
 34  Freeman   11  Chatman   7  Freeman  Redbird Arena (2,576)
Normal, IL
November 23, 2021*
7:30 pm, CBSSN
vs. Saint Louis
Cancún Challenge
Riviera Division
(Semifinal)
L 76–82  2–3
 20  Reeves   4  Reeves   6  Fleming Jr.  Riviera Maya (103)
Cancún, Mexico
November 24, 2021*
5:00 pm, CBSSN
vs. Buffalo
Cancún Challenge
Riviera Division
(Consolation)
L 90–106  2–4
 22  Lewis   5  Tied   4  Strong  Riviera Maya (144)
Cancún, Mexico
November 27, 2021*
8:00 pm, Marquee
Purdue Northwest W 81–71  3–4
 20  Reeves   12  Chatman   7  Freeman  Redbird Arena (1,024)
Normal, IL
December 1, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Missouri State W 79–74 OT 4–4
(1–0)
 22  Reeves   6  3 Tied   5  Fleming Jr.  Redbird Arena (2,902)
Normal, IL
December 4, 2021*
3:00 pm, ESPN3
Jackson State L 55–61  4–5
 14  Reeves   6  Lewis   4  Freeman  Redbird Arena (3,089)
Normal, IL
December 11, 2021*
2:00 pm, ESPN+
at Chicago State W 81–71  5–5
 28  Reeves   6  Lewis   4  Freeman  Emil and Patricia Jones
Convocation Center
 (267)
Chicago, IL
December 14, 2021*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Quincy W 81–63  6–5
 19  Reeves   7  Chatman   4  Freeman  Redbird Arena (2,039)
Normal, IL
December 18, 2021*
3:00 pm, Marquee
Ball State W 85–64  7–5
 23  Strong   9  Lewis   6  Freeman  Redbird Arena (2,704)
Normal, IL
December 21, 2021*
2:00 pm, ESPN+
UTSA W 81–64  8–5
 21  Reeves   10  Reeves   8  Freeman  Redbird Arena (2.345)
Normal, IL
December 29, 2021*
7:00 pm, BTN
at No. 24 Wisconsin L 85–89  8–6
 23  Reeves   7  Chatman   3  Tied  Kohl Center (15,718)
Madison, WI
January 2, 2022
1:00 pm, ESPN+
at Valparaiso L 76–81 OT 8–7
(1–1)
 24  Reeves   7  Tied   4  Strong  Athletics–Recreation Center (1,267)
Valparaiso, IN
January 12, 2022
7:00 pm, MVC TV
at Drake L 75–86  8–8
(1–2)
 20  Lewis   5  Tied   6  Strong  The Knapp Center (2,702)
Des Moines, IA
January 16, 2022
7:00 pm, Marquee
Bradley
I–74 Rivalry
W 74–65  9–8
(2–2)
 24  Reeves   7  Chatman   4  Strong  Redbird Arena (4,072)
Normal, IL
January 19, 2022
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Missouri State L 63–88  9–9
(2–3)
 19  Freeman   7  Chatman   4  Strong  JQH Arena (3,362)
Springfield, MO
January 21, 2022
6:00 pm, ESPN+
Evansville W 94–56  10–9
(3–3)
 16  Reeves   5  Fleming Jr.   4  Fleming Jr.  Redbird Arena (2,721)
Normal, IL
January 23, 2022
1:00 pm, MVC TV
at Evansville
(Rescheduled from January 9)
L 53–56  10–10
(3–4)
 23  Reeves   5  Strong   3  Freeman  Ford Center (3,354)
Evansville, IN
January 26, 2022
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Drake L 88–89 OT 10–11
(3–5)
 25  Reeves   11  Lewis   10  Freeman  Redbird Arena (3,515)
Normal, IL
January 29, 2022
1:00 pm, ESPN+
at Northern Iowa L 64–79  10–12
(3–6)
 19  McChesney   8  McChesney   4  Strong  McLeod Center (0)
Cedar Falls, IA
February 2, 2022
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Loyola L 64–78  10–13
(3–7)
 20  Reeves   5  Fleming Jr.   3  Freeman  Gentile Arena (3,097)
Chicago, IL
February 5, 2022
7:00 pm, Marquee
Southern Illinois L 69–75  10–14
(3–8)
 18  Strong   8  McChesney   5  Reeves  Redbird Arena (4,276)
Normal, IL
February 9, 2022
7:00 pm, Marquee
Valparaiso W 78–75 OT 11–14
(4–8)
 34  Reeves   10  McChesney   3  Freeman  Redbird Arena (2,443)
Normal, IL
February 12, 2022
1:00 pm, ESPN+
at Indiana State L 57–60  11–15
(4–9)
 13  McChesney   10  Lewis   4  Fleming Jr.  Hulman Center (2,766)
Terre Haute, IN
February 15, 2022
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Northern Iowa L 70–72  11–16
(4–10)
 27  Reeves   14  Lewis   4  Lewis  Redbird Arena (3,039)
Normal, IL
February 19, 2022
1:00 pm, MVC TV
at Bradley
I–74 Rivalry
L 64–72  11–17
(4–11)
 20  Reeves   6  Freeman   2  Tied  Carver Arena (6,902)
Peoria, IL
February 21, 2022
7:00 pm, ESPN+
Loyola
(Rescheduled from January 5)
L 50–59  11–18
(4–12)
 15  Reeves   7  Fleming Jr.   2  Tied  Redbird Arena (3,354)
Normal, IL
February 23, 2022
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Southern Illinois L 69–90  11–19
(4–13)
 18  Reeves   6  Lewis   5  Freeman  Banterra Center (4,390)
Carbondale, IL
February 26, 2022
3:00 pm, ESPN+
Indiana State W 86–66  12–19
(5–13)
 28  Reeves   6  Reeves   6  Freeman  Redbird Arena (3,665)
Normal, IL
MVC Tournament
March 3, 2022
6:00 pm, MVC TV
(8) vs. (9) Indiana State
Opening Round
W 58–53  13–19
 15  Reeves   8  Lewis   4  Fleming Jr.  Enterprise Center (2,904)
St. Louis, MO
March 4, 2022
12:00 pm, MVC TV
(8) vs. (1) Northern Iowa
Quarterfinal
L 65–78  13–20
 20  Fleming Jr.   6  Strong   4  Reeves  Enterprise Center (5,394)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[5][6][7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "ISU to fire men's basketball coach Dan Muller at end of the season". WGLT. February 13, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  2. ^ "Muller Steps Down; Brian Jones To Take Over As Interim Coach". WZND Fuzed Radio. February 15, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa - Game Recap - March 4, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  4. ^ "Illinois State Big Man Dusan Mahorcic Transfers To Utah Basketball". KSL Sports. June 4, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  5. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". goredbirds.com. Illinois State University Athletics. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  6. ^ "2021-22 Illinois State Redbirds Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "2021-22 Illinois State Redbirds Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved December 14, 2021.