NORMAL, Ill. – In his first signing class as head coach of the Illinois State Redbirds, ISU head men's basketball coach Ryan Pedon has announced that three future Redbirds: Johnny Kinziger, Ty Pence, and Chase Walker; have signed their National Letters of Intent to play for ISU starting in the 2023-24 season.
"We could not be more excited about our first true high school recruiting class," said Pedon. "Collectively this class addresses immediate needs for our roster. These are impressive young men that will represent the caliber of people, players, and student-athletes that we want to build our program with – and our fans will fall in love with many of these same qualities."
Kinziger is a native of De Pere, Wisconsin, Pence from St. Joseph's, Illinois, and Walker from Columbus, Ohio. Between the three they have earned a combined five All-State honors through their junior years of high school.
"Geographically this class represents much of what we have talked about since we arrived," said Pedon. "While we will recruit nationally, I wanted to establish the Midwest as our primary recruiting base. Our state – and the Midwest as a whole – will always be important to Illinois State basketball."
Kinziger, a 6-0 point guard from De Pere, Wisconsin, averaged 21 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 2021-22, earning first team all-conference honors, and a Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-State pick. He made 52 percent of his shots from the field last season, including making 46 percent from long range and 86 percent from the charity stripe.
"Johnny Kinziger is a winner," noted the Illinois State head coach. "He is the all-time De Pere High School leader in three-pointers and is on pace to be the all-time winningest player in the history of his high school program. I'm excited about the intangibles, competitiveness, and a leadership that he will bring to Redbird Basketball."
Already in possession of the De Pere career record for three-point baskets made, his 1,570 career points has him in striking distance of the school record, which currently stands at 1,720 points. As a sophomore Kinziger was named WBCA All-State after averaging 22.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists as his Redbird squad finished 22-4. He converted on 45.3 percent of his three-points shots and made 88.4 percent of his free throws.
Pence, a 6-6 guard, was the leading vote-getter on last season's Class 2A Associated Press All-State team. He averaged 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game last season with St. Joseph-Ogden. Ranked 188th nationally by 247sports, he is the second highest nationally ranked player to sign with Illinois State out of high school, second only to Osiris Eldridge, who was ranked 128th nationally.
"Ty Pence is a tremendous player that I believe has a very high ceiling," said Pedon. "I love his versatility, his ability to make plays, and his ability to score at all three levels. He comes from a wonderful family that has deep roots at Illinois State University, and I'm really excited about his future as a Redbird."
He also was named First Team All-State by the Illinois Basketball Coaches association after his sophomore season in which he averaged 25.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. As a freshman he put up 12.9 points per game while pulling down 3.9 rebounds per contest. Pence will have a ceremony on Friday at St. Joseph-Ogden High School to celebrate his signing.
The third signee for the Redbirds is 6-9 forward Chase Walker who averaged 17.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game en route to earning Central Catholic League (CCL) Player of the Year honors and helped his St. Charles squad to a district final appearance. His efforts as a junior also netted him Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division I Special Mention honors.
"Chase Walker is a gem that Redbird fans are going to love," said Pedon. "His rare combination of size, footwork, and his ability to pass and score from the post sets him apart. We talk about wanting to impose ourselves on our opponents, and this is a young man who will do that in a big way for us in years to come."
The Columbus, Ohio, native earned All-CCL First Team and honorable mention all-district honors as a sophomore. He averaged 10.8 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game during the season. He played in 21 games as a freshman, averaging 8.2 points per game.
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