NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head men's basketball coach Ryan Pedon has announced the signing of Bloomington native Colton Sandage to a Financial Aid Agreement to play for the Redbirds in the 2022-23 season.
"We are very excited about adding Colton, our first addition to this new era of Redbird Men's Basketball," said Pedon. "He is a product of the Bloomington-Normal community, and his family has a long-standing history with Illinois State University. Both of his parents are ISU graduates, while two of his older brothers competed athletically at ISU as well."
Sandage will be joining his older brother Brandon Holtz as players to suit up in the Red and White on the basketball court, as Holtz played basketball for ISU from 2006-09.
He played his most recent two seasons at Western Illinois, after spending two seasons at Vincennes University, helping the Trailblazers to a NJCAA National Title in 2018-19.
"We are very excited about Colton's combination of shooting, skill, IQ, and toughness," commented Pedon. "He will bring a competitive edge to the game that will inspire those around him."
Last season with the Leathernecks he averaged 13.4 points per game, as WIU finished the season with an even 16-16 record. He was named the Summit League Player of the Week on December 6, following a stretch of games where he scored 33 and 25 points. He dished out 82 assists with 39 steals and 122 rebounds and made 35 percent of his shots from long range (65-of-185), and 77-of-99 (79.8%) from the free throw line.
Sandage scored in double-figures 21 times including a career-high 33 against Ball State on December 1 and 25 at Central Michigan on December 5. He also added 27 points at North Dakota State on February 10.
As a junior in 2020-21 he played in 22 games with 13 starts, averaging 20.1 minutes per game for WIU. He averaged 9.5 points per game with a team-high 45 assists while grabbing a dozen steals and making 27 three-point field goals. He ended the season strong, scoring in double-figures in nine of his last 10 games, including a season-high 32 on the road at Oral Roberts where he made 9-of-13 shots from long range.
Sandage also reached the 20-point plateau with 28 points at North Dakota where he also dished out a career-high 10 assists for the double-double. He set a career-high scoring mark in three consecutive games at the end of January with 17 points against South Dakota, 18 points in the opener against North Dakota, and 28 more in the second game against the Fighting Hawks.
His second year with the Trailblazers he averaged 8.7 points per game while dishing out 79 assists over 31 games, starting 13 times. The Bloomington native made 57 three-point field goals and pulled down 81 rebounds on the season for Vincennes, whose opportunity to defend its National Title was ended before the NJCAA Division I men's basketball first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He scored in double-figures 12 times in his second year with the Trailblazers, including a season-high 24 points against Harcum on November 2.
In 2018-19 with Vincennes, he played in 35 games with four starts, and he averaged 8.6 points per game with 58 assists. The sharpshooter made 72-of-175 three-point field goals (41.1 percent) as the Trailblazers pushed their way to the NJCAA Division I title with an 87-77 win over Hutchinson, as Sandage scored seven in the championship game. He reached double-figures 13 times during his opening season as a collegian, including 20 points off the bench at Southeastern Illinois on January 30.
"Colton has also experienced great success in his prep career," Pedon noted. "He played for a very successful high school program at Bloomington High School, where he was coached by Michael Mosley, a tremendous teacher of the game. He also was a member of the Vincennes University's 2019 NJCAA National Championship team, where he was coached by Todd Franklin."
As a prep at Bloomington High School, Sandage missed all but the last three games of his senior season due to a knee injury suffered during the football season, and as a junior he averaged 13 points per game while making a team-high 61 three-point baskets. The team advanced to the IHSA Class 3A State Finals, falling in the semifinals before coming back to win the consolation game to help the Bruins to a third-place finish.
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