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.
Fans are invited to watch Monday's show live at Rob Dob's, located at 801 N Hershey Road in Bloomington; 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, whose team is 15-10 this season and 9-5 in the MVC, will be joined by sophomore forward Doneelah Washington. Illinois State women's basketball heads into the show following a road split during the week, falling at Southern Illinois on Friday, before coming back with an 88-75 win in Evansville against the Aces on Sunday.
Washington has played and started in all 25 games this season for the Redbirds, averaging 16.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, which rank seventh (points), and fourth (rebounds) in the conference this season. She also ranks second in blocked shots per game, and her field goal percentage (.511) is the fourth-best in the MVC. The Redbirds have a big home weekend ahead, with a rematch against the Belmont Bruins on Friday, February 20, before hosting Murray State on Sunday, February 22 for senior day.
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 a 17-10 record, and a 9-7 mark in MVC play. The Redbirds split a pair of games during the week, picking up a 22-point win over Valparaiso on Thursday, before falling at UIC on Sunday.
Pedon will be joined this week by freshman wing Isaac Ericksen. The Cary, North Carolina, native, is redshirting the season, a year after earning his second consecutive Southwest Wake Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He holds the Green Level High School single-game scoring record and tallied 1,874 points over his prep career. As a senior he was named Third Team All-State. This week the Redbirds have a pair of Nationally televised contests, hosting Murray State on ESPNU on Wednesday night, and then a game at Bradley on Saturday evening on ESPN2.
Upcoming Coaches Show Schedule
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)
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
