NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State Basketball Coaches Show, presented by The O'Brien Auto Team, featuring Illinois State head men's basketball coach Ryan Pedon and women's basketball head coach Kristen Gillespie will air tonight live from Jesse's Grill in Normal.
Fans are invited to watch Monday's show live at Jesse's Grille, located inside the Marriott, 201 Broadway, Normal; however, for those unable to attend the show in person, it will be broadcast live on WJBC 1230 AM, the Varsity Network, and on the Illinois State Athletics Facebook page.
Head women's basketball coach Kristen Gillespie's segment of the show, hosted by Greg Halbleib, starts at 6 p.m. and Gillespie will be joined by ISU junior forward Nevaeh Thomas. Illinois State women's basketball returns to Normal after falling to 24th-ranked Nebraska on Sunday, December 14, as Kya Hurt scored a game-high 18 points for the Redbirds, while Addison Martin scored 12, and Doneelah Washington had nine rebounds and five blocked shots.
Thomas started the season strong, scoring 43 points over the first three games of the season, before suffering an injury against Loyola Chicago. During the Kenosha, Wisconsin, native's truncated season she had made 67 percent of her shots from the field and was 9-of-10 from the charity stripe with 24 rebounds and 11 assists. ISU is back in action on Friday, December 19, as the Redbirds host the Oakland Grizzlies in a 6:30 p.m. tip-off inside CEFCU Arena.
Head men's basketball coach Ryan Pedon's portion of the show follows at 6:45 p.m., hosted by John Fitzgerald and Mike Matthews. The Redbirds come into the show with an 8-3 record, the team's best record through 11 games in a season since 2012-13. In their most recent game, played at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, the Redbirds capped their non-conference season by dropping a tight battle to the Utah State Aggies by an 83-78 score, as Ty Pence scored a career-high 21 points, leading five Redbirds in double-figures.
Pedon will be joined this week by senior guard Landon Moore. The Bloomington native scored a season-high 14 points against Utah State, making 5-of-6 shots from the field. This season he has scored 42 points over 11 games, making 48.4 percent of his shots from the field, and 36 percent of his shots from beyond the three-point arc. ISU travels to Carbondale, Illinois, on Thursday, December 18, as the Birds open play in the MVC.
Upcoming Coaches Show Schedule
Dec. 22 (No Show)
Dec. 29 (No Show)
Jan. 5 at Rob Dob's (801 N. Hershey Rd. Bloomington)
Jan. 12 at Pizza Payaa (107 E. Beaufort Suite C, Normal)
Jan. 19 at Jesse's Grille (inside the Marriott, 201 Broadway, Normal)
Jan. 26 at Rob Dob's (801 N. Hershey Rd. Bloomington)
Feb. 2 at Pizza Payaa (107 E. Beaufort Suite C, Normal)
Feb. 9 (No Show)
Feb. 16 at Jesse's Grille (inside the Marriott, 201 Broadway, Normal)
Feb. 23 at Rob Dob's (801 N. Hershey Rd. Bloomington)
March 2 at Pizza Payaa (107 E. Beaufort Suite C, Normal)
March 9 at Jesse's Grille (inside the Marriott, 201 Broadway, Normal)
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