Following back-to-back seasons with strong improvement – including the 2025 College Basketball Invitational Title – Illinois State men’s basketball head coach Ryan Pedon has signed a contract extension through the 2029-30 season. The 22 wins from the 2024-25 season was the program’s most since the 2016-17 season, and the program’s first winning season since 2018-19.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to continue leading the Redbird Men’s Basketball program into the future,” said Pedon. “I would like to thank Dr. Jeri Beggs, President Tarhule, and our Board of Trustees for their support and confidence in what we are building together.”
Since taking over in 2022-23, the growth of the program has been obvious and continuous, most notably back-to-back four-plus game win improvements between his first two seasons, just the second time in program history that ISU has had four-plus win improvements in back-to-back seasons.
“Being the head coach at Illinois State means the world to my family and I,” said the head coach. “We love being a part of this special community and look forward to the future ahead of us here in Bloomington/Normal. Over the past three years, we have worked hard to plant our program’s roots for future success. So many people have been part of these efforts and I would like to express our gratitude to all those individuals who have touched our program in some form or fashion.”
Last season the Redbirds had a remarkable year with a 22-14 overall record, a seven-win improvement from 2023-24, and a postseason tournament championship. The team’s end-of-season NET ranking was 121, the highest in program history since the NET rankings were introduced in 2018-19.
ISU had two All-MVC honorees in Chase Walker (first team) and Johnny Kinziger (second team). That sophomore duo is the second-highest scoring sophomore pair in the country this season, and one of nine sophomore pairs since 2020-21 in the NCAA to each score 500+ points in a season.
“From the time I was hired in March 2022, we have emphasized the importance of building a championship-caliber program with the right PEOPLE,” said Pedon. “Hiring the right staff, recruiting student-athletes that fit Illinois State, working for the right leadership who share our vision and connecting our program with our community like never before. I believe in this blueprint now more than ever, and I am very excited for our future.”
In 2024-25 the Redbirds finished 24th in the country in three-point field goal percentage, a 324-place jump from the previous season, and the team’s effective field goal percentage (.570) and NCAA finish in effective field goal percentage (7th) is the best in school history by a wide margin. The team also set a program record for single-digit turnover games in a season (13) and had the highest KenPom efficiency ranking (112.7) in program history. The incoming Illinois State recruiting class is ranked 66th nationally by 247 sport.
“I am lucky to be the coach here at Illinois State, and it is a role I do not take lightly,” noted the Redbird head coach. “I am proud to represent our University, it’s alumni, and all of Redbird Nation in the years to come.”
Academics has also been an important part of the growth of the program, as the program has set semester grade point averages over each of the last five semesters, setting the program record with a 3.54 team GPA following this fall semester. The Redbirds had three players (Kinziger, Dalton Banks, and Landon Wolf) named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team, as Kinziger was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, the first ISU player named to the first team in 12 seasons.
In 2023-24 Pedon saw his Redbird squad improve by four wins, from 11 to 15, as the team had its best assist-to-turnover ratio for a season since 2016-17, and the team picked up its first win over a ranked opponent since the 2015-16 season.
“We’re thrilled to extend Ryan’s contract, ensuring continued leadership and success for our men’s basketball program,” said Illinois State Director of Athletics Dr. Jeri Beggs. “Coach Pedon and his staff have done everything you can ask, creating a winning culture with outstanding young men, setting GPA records on the academic side, and engaging with the community in so many positive ways. I can’t wait to see what this team can accomplish next year!”
In his first season as head coach, the team had an 11-21 record while setting a program record for free throw percentage with .793 (the previous record was .775).
Pedon came to Illinois State after spending five seasons as an assistant coach at Ohio State, joining the Buckeyes in the summer of 2017. In his time at OSU, his teams had a record of 106-53 with an NCAA Tournament berth during each of his seasons with the Buckeyes. He made his transition to Columbus alongside Chris Holtmann from Butler, where he had helped the Bulldogs tally a 47-20 record in two seasons with two NCAA Tournament berths in Indianapolis, including a 2016-17 season in which the Bulldogs cruised to a 25-9 record, advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16.
Prior to joining the Bulldogs he spent two seasons at Illinois, and also spent time as an assistant coach at Toledo (2010-13) and Miami (Ohio) (2005-10), and was director of basketball operations at Kent State from 2002-05 and was a graduate assistant at Miami (Ohio) from 2000-2002.
He played college basketball at the College of Wooster, where he was a three-year letterwinner, helping the Fighting Scots to three NCAA Division III Tournaments, and three North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular-season championships. He received his bachelor’s degree in communications from Wooster in 2000 and a master’s degree in sport organization from Miami (Ohio) in 2002. He and his wife Stephanie have a son, Maddox.
