NORMAL, Ill. – Preparations for the 2015-16 men's basketball campaign officially began with a 6 a.m. practice Monday on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, 39 days away from the season-opener at San Diego State (Nov. 13).
"We have great attitudes, and I think we have a good work ethic and a toughness to us," head coach Dan Muller said following ISU's opening practice. "All of those things need to continue to improve. But, for day one, I think those are at a good level. I also like our versatility."
Although Monday marked ISU's first official practice of the 2015-16 season, the Redbirds already had 10 summer practices and four exhibition games under their belts thanks to an international trip to Spain in August.
"It's all about getting better every day, and you can't do that unless the guys are coachable and they play hard," Muller continued. "And, I think we have a really good baseline for that, not only because of Spain, but also because of the foundation we've built since we've been here and the really good leadership we've had since the end of last season."
The 2015-16 Redbirds return 50.6 percent of their scoring, 54.5 percent of their rebounding and 61.8 percent of their assists and steals from last season's team which advanced to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship game following a third-place finish in the final league standings. The 2014-15 Redbirds (22-13, 11-7 MVC) earned an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and recorded a first-round victory over Green Bay.
Returning junior point guard Paris Lee – one of three returning starters and six returning letterwinners – accounted for 32.3 percent of ISU's steals and 30.4 of the Redbirds' assists, earning 2015 MVC All-Defensive Team accolades for his efforts. Lee topped the MVC and ranked No. 9 nationally in steals (2.4 per game). He also led ISU in assists (3.6 per game), ranked second in the MVC with a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio, and averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Reigning 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell was ISU's leading rebounder in 2014-15, averaging 5.6 rebounds per game, which ranked No. 6 in the league. He is also Illinois State's leading returning scorer after ranking second on the team last season with 12.8 points averaged per contest.
Along with Akoon-Purcell and Lee, ISU's other returners include: sophomore forward Deontae Hawkins (7.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg), senior guard Justin McCloud (3.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg), sophomore forward MiKyle McIntosh (5.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and junior guard Tony Wills (4.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg). Included among Illinois State's newcomers is redshirt junior forward (New Mexico transfer) Nick Banyard, who practiced with the Redbirds but could not play during the 2014-15 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Along with five incoming freshmen, Illinois State also added a graduate transfer (Bethune-Cookman) in redshirt senior forward Quintin Brewer.
With a balance of six returners and eight newcomers on the 2015-16 roster, the Redbirds will face a challenging non-conference schedule that includes matchups with four 2015 NCAA Tournament teams: San Diego State, Maryland, Kentucky and UAB. Illinois State tips off the season Nov. 13 at San Diego State, and the Redbirds open their home campaign Nov. 16 versus Morehead State.
Information regarding 2015-16 Illinois State men's basketball tickets is available by navigating to GoRedbirds.com/tickets or by calling (309) 438-8000. Fans will have their first chance to see the Redbirds in action at Hoopfest, scheduled for Oct. 23 following a 6 p.m. volleyball match against Wichita State.
@Redbird_MBB Goes Live
Along with the beginning of practice, Monday also marked the launch of @Redbird_MBB, the official Illinois State men's basketball Twitter account. Followers of @Redbird_MBB can stay up to date with Redbird basketball news, stats, photos, video, live updates and more.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
