NORMAL — Illinois State head men's basketball coach Ryan Pedon has rounded out the staff for his inaugural season with the Redbirds with the additions of new Chief of Staff Mike Mastroianni and graduate assistants Tyler Hicks and Jack Betz.
"I have experience working with all three of these guys, and I am very confident in what they will bring to our program," commented Pedon. "They embody all of the characteristics that we value from a personal and professional standpoint, and they are very humble in their approach. I have a high level of trust with each of them, and I could not be more excited about adding them to our Redbird men's basketball family."
Mastroianni, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, comes to the Redbirds after spending last season working at UPMC as a financial analyst, while also serving as an assistant coach at Quaker Valley High School, alongside father Mike Mastroianni. The Mastroianni pair helped lead the team to a 27-1 record, a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Conference (WPIAL) championship, and a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) runner-up finish.
Prior to his time in his hometown he was a four-year student-manager under current OSU head coach Chris Holtmann and Pedon, as teams he worked with were a combined 87-44 and were NCAA Tournament-eligible each of his four seasons. He worked with NBA players Jae'Sean Tate, Keita Bates-Diop, Duane Washington, and E.J. Liddell while in Columbus.
Hicks and Betz were both four-year student-managers with Ohio State, and were co-head managers during the 2021-22 season. The pair saw the Buckeyes finish with an 82-47 record during their four seasons, with three trips to the NCAA Tournament – the only miss was the COVID-cancelled 2019 season. The two worked with NBA players Duane Washington, E.J. Liddell, and Malaki Branham.
Hicks is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, while Betz is from Galena, Ohio.
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