NORMAL, Ill. – In Illinois State's 2016-17 home opener, the Redbird men's basketball team – picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference – hosts preseason Summit League favorite Fort Wayne Wednesday at 6 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. ISU is aiming to bounce back after falling on a last-second shot in Friday's season opener at Murray State. Fort Wayne is off to a 1-1 start following a loss at Arkansas and a win over DIII Kenyon.
ILLINOIS STATE VS. FORT WAYNE • WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16, 2016 • 6 P.M.
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THE SERIES:
Wednesday's game marks the third meeting between Illinois State and Fort Wayne. The Redbirds lead the all-time series, 2-0, with both ISU victories taking place in Normal, Illinois, on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (Dec. 6, 2005: W, 65-36; Dec. 22, 2014: W, 68-43). Head coach Dan Muller is 1-0 versus the Mastadons.
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THE COACHES:
Illinois State: Dan Muller (Illinois State, 1998) is in his fifth season as the head coach at Illinois State (76-59). Muller is the first-ever ISU coach to beat four Top-25 teams in his first four years, leading ISU to the 2015 NIT.
Fort Wayne: Jon Coffman (Washington and Lee, 1996) is in his third season as the head coach at Fort Wayne (41-26). Coffman has taken the Mastodons to the postseason in each of his first two seasons as head coach.
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ILLINOIS STATE:
Was picked to finish second (out of 10 teams) in the Missouri Valley Conference ... Was the only team to feature two players (out of five) on the Preseason All-MVC First Team (Paris Lee and MiKyle McIntosh) ... Returns four of five starters and seven of 11 letterwinners from last year's team, which tied for second place in the MVC with a 12-6 record, signifying ISU's highest league finish and most conference wins since the 2007-08 season.
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FORT WAYNE:
Was picked to finish first (out of nine teams) in the Summit League, and redshirt sophomore John Konchar was named to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team after averaging 13.0 points (third on the team) and 9.2 rebounds (first on the team) per game last season ... Returns three of five starters and eight letterwinners from last year's 24-10 (12-4 Summit) team which won the Summit regular-season title and fell in the first round of the NIT.
PROTECT THE NEST
Illinois State holds its 28th home opener at Redbird Arena Wednesday night versus Fort Wayne. ISU is 18-9 in its past 27 home openers. Head coach Dan Muller holds a 2-2 mark in home openers.
MiKYLE STYLE
Junior forward MiKyle McIntosh – a Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference selection – picked up where he left off last season by leading ISU in scoring during the Redbirds' season opener at Murray State (Nov. 11). McIntosh netted 18 points on 6-for-12 shooting and collected eight rebounds. Last season, McIntosh led the Redbirds in scoring nine times, which ranked second to DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell.
HAWK SKIES FOR BOARDS
In Illinois State's season opener at Murray State (Nov. 11), senior forward Deontae Hawkins matched a career best with 15 rebounds. Hawkins recorded 15 boards for the third time in his career. And, with 14 points, Hawkins earned his third-career double-double. He also played a career-high 37 minutes.
EARLY TESTS
ISU's first two games of the 2016-17 season are against teams picked to finish high in their respective conferences. The Redbirds opened their season Friday at Murray State, chosen first (out of six teams) in the Ohio Valley Conference West Division and second overall (behind Belmont). Next up, Illinois State opens its home season Wednesday versus Fort Wayne, tabbed to win the Summit League.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Illinois State is picked to finish second in the league, according to the 2016-17 MVC Preseason Poll, as compiled from votes by MVC sports information directors, media and coaches. Illinois State's predicted second-place finish marks ISU's highest pick since also being tabbed second in the 2012-13 preseason poll. The Redbirds have now been selected to finish second or higher six times in program history (1993-94: first; 1996-97: first; 1997-98: first; 2001-02: first; 2012-13: second; 2016-17: second). ISU received 356 total points and four first-place votes. Wichita State is the favorite to win the MVC men's basketball title.
PRESEASON POLL VS. FINISH DURING MULLER ERA
2015-16: Picked 4th (323 points) – Actual Finish: T2nd (12-6)
2014-15: Picked 5th (287 points) – Actual Finish: T3rd (11-7)
2013-14: Picked 7th (139 points) – Actual Finish: T4th (9-9)
2012-13: Picked 2nd (327 points) – Actual Finish: 6th (8-10)
TWO AT THE TOP
Senior guard Paris Lee and junior forward MiKyle McIntosh are both 2016-17 MVC Preseason First Team selections. The Redbirds landed two on the five-player preseason roster for the first time since Rico Hill and current head coach Dan Muller represented ISU as preseason first-team selections in 1997-98. Hill and Muller led Illinois State to the NCAA Tournament that year after winning MVC regular-season and tournament titles. The 2016-17 Redbirds were the only team to earn two first-team honors.
IT'S A STEAL
Senior guard Paris Lee ranks No. 2 among active NCAA players for career steals. He needs 12 to crack into the MVC all-time Top 10 for steals.
NCAA Active Leaders, Career Steals
1. Jalan West, Northwestern State 219
2. Paris Lee, Illinois State 184
3. Monte Morris, Iowa State 175
RETURNING REDBIRDS
Senior guards Paris Lee and Tony Wills are two of four starters and seven letterwinners returning for the 2016-17 Redbirds. Illinois State's top returning scorer is Lee, who averaged 11.1 points per game to rank 20th in the league and account for 16.5 percent of the team's total scoring in 2015-16. He begins the 2016-17 season ranked fifth in league scoring (813 points). Additionally, Lee is the league's top returner in assists after averaging 3.7 per contest in 2015-16 to account for 29.1 percent of ISU's total assists. Returning senior forward Deontae Hawkins led the Redbirds and ranked ninth in the MVC by averaging 5.8 rebounds per game to account for 18 percent of Illinois State's total rebounds last season. He also averaged 10.3 points per contest. Along with Lee and Hawkins, ISU's other two returning starters include Wills (5.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg) and junior forward MiKyle McIntosh (10.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg).
PERCENTAGE BACK
The 2016-17 Redbirds return 57.2 percent of their scoring (a 6.6 percent increase from last year) and 50 percent of their rebounding. ISU also returns: 67.4 percent of assists, 64.9 percent of steals, 60 percent of blocks and 54.6 percent of minutes. Joining Illinois State's seven returning letterwinners are eight newcomers, including three true freshmen, one redshirt freshman, two junior college transfers and two Division I transfers who will be eligible to play in 2017-18.
ANOTHER TOUGH SCHEDULE
Illinois State will play games against at least five 2016 Division I postseason qualifiers – including three NCAA Tournament teams – and five opponents who won 20 or more games last season as part of the Redbirds' 2016-17 non-conference schedule. Additionally, in MVC play, ISU will play two more NCAA qualifiers and four programs that won 20 or more games during the 2015-16 campaign. Last season's Redbirds faced one of the toughest non-conference schedules in program history, ranked No. 7 nationally at the end of the regular season, according to the Collegiate Basketball News Report. Illinois State rose to the challenge by recording an upset victory over No. 21 Wichita State (Feb. 6).
RECORDS IN REACH
As the Missouri Valley Conference's active career leader in steals and assists, senior guard Paris Lee will undoubtedly leave his mark in the Illinois State record book. Lee ranks second in career steals (184) behind Ron Jones (222 from 1976-80). Lee also ranks 11th in career assists (323). Additionally, Lee began the 2016-17 season with 813 points, just 187 away from becoming the 42nd member of the 1,000-point club. Lee scored 355 points last season and has never scored fewer than 227.
BUILDING UPON LAST SEASON
By finishing the 2015-16 MVC season with a 12-6 record, ISU tied with Evansville for second place in the league standings, signifying ISU's highest league finish since also earning second in 2007-08.
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