vs UIC (1-11) - Wednesday, 2/7/2024 - 7 pm - ESPN+/Marquee Network

[TBS_20]

Pedon has got to do.something about the shooting. I've never seen such h s bad shooting ISU team. Clank, clank, clank. And the roll ins underneath the basket never roll in. Although, those have never really rolled in for ISU.

 

[BirdGrad2011]

Commentary on the staff and offense are both things I have been pointing to since last season, so it’s nice to see the consensus. From what I’ve heard about the end of the search from those in the know Kyle Brennan and Mark Muhlhauser went completely rogue on the hire and shocked everyone, including search firms and agents and it’s partly why they’re both out of the industry now. Could be wrong, just some intel on what people are referencing here.

I’ve heard similar and Ben McCollum was getting a serious look.

 

[Adunk33]

I don't know if we have the budget to make a big splash with an assistant but I am starting to question the staff Pedon assembled. I don't think we can expect much better results running it back with Dak, Slay, and Jud. Pedon was supposed to be the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. We should certainly have a better offense. Muller was best when he had talented assistants. I was frustrated when he brought back Brian Jones for the final year, especially because we were horrible during his entire tenure. I am starting to get the same feeling with the current assistants. Love Dak but not sure he is the man for the job.

Both Grad Assistants are on Year 2, which would suggest they would be graduating in the Spring. What if you ditch the grad assistants in favor of adding another (or a different) coach that you can throw some more money at? Muller never had grads and opted for an additional professional. Grad Asst Hicks was on the coach's show Monday night and he said his role is travel logistics/food. I thought that was more the rule of DOBO/Chief of Staff.

The staff as it is:
Pedon- first time HC in his second year (OSU ties)
Jud- long time, experienced assistant, unsuccessful head coach. Runs the defense
Slay- 4 year associate HC at YSU, 2 years at USF, supports Judson with defense, leads recruiting
Dak- first time assistant in his second year, came to campus to interview for DOBO. (OSU ties)
Mastroianni- "Chief of staff/dobo"- in his second year. Last season due to the Offutt debacle, he was put in an assistant role. Prior to that he was a financial analyst and assistant under his dad at a high school. (Former OSU mgr)
Hicks- second year grad asst, travel/food logistics. (Former OSU mgr)
Betz- second year grad asst, unsure of specific role. (former OSU mgr)

So, looking holistically, you can see two things with this staff. A ton of Ohio State ties, which I get. Pedon has said he strongly believes in relationships and obviously trusts what he has in the OSU guys he brought in. One fair question would be...why aren't they grad assistants at OSU? The second thing you see is inexperience across the board. Of the seven positions, just two have experience in their role. Judson is really the only guy the program can lean on for real-time advice because he's probably been in the situation before. Though, Judson really hasn't had grand success anywhere he goes. He just really knows Midwest recruiting. The most success he's been attached to was as DOBO at Indiana when they won the B1G, unless you count the 4 NIT appearances here at ISU.

I understand wanting to have your people on the staff. But there has to be more of a mix, especially for a first time head coach. I like all of our assistants, don't get me wrong. After the season, Pedon needs to self-evaluate and identify weaknesses in his abilities and address them. Something is off and he needs help. That said, I'd be surprised if there was a big shake up.

I'm not out on Pedon but if this time next year, we're talking about the same things, the seat is going to start getting mighty warm.

 

[schoolsportsfan]

Richardson- Bad

Richardson - sh*t

 

[MadBird]

Both Grad Assistants are on Year 2, which would suggest they would be graduating in the Spring. What if you ditch the grad assistants in favor of adding another (or a different) coach that you can throw some more money at? Muller never had grads and opted for an additional professional. Grad Asst Hicks was on the coach's show Monday night and he said his role is travel logistics/food. I thought that was more the rule of DOBO/Chief of Staff.

The staff as it is:
Pedon- first time HC in his second year (OSU ties)
Jud- long time, experienced assistant, unsuccessful head coach. Runs the defense
Slay- 4 year associate HC at YSU, 2 years at USF, supports Judson with defense, leads recruiting
Dak- first time assistant in his second year, came to campus to interview for DOBO. (OSU ties)
Mastroianni- "Chief of staff/dobo"- in his second year. Last season due to the Offutt debacle, he was put in an assistant role. Prior to that he was a financial analyst and assistant under his dad at a high school. (Former OSU mgr)
Hicks- second year grad asst, travel/food logistics. (Former OSU mgr)
Betz- second year grad asst, unsure of specific role. (former OSU mgr)

So, looking holistically, you can see two things with this staff. A ton of Ohio State ties, which I get. Pedon has said he strongly believes in relationships and obviously trusts what he has in the OSU guys he brought in. One fair question would be...why aren't they grad assistants at OSU? The second thing you see is inexperience across the board. Of the seven positions, just two have experience in their role. Judson is really the only guy the program can lean on for real-time advice because he's probably been in the situation before. Though, Judson really hasn't had grand success anywhere he goes. He just really knows Midwest recruiting. The most success he's been attached to was as DOBO at Indiana when they won the B1G, unless you count the 4 NIT appearances here at ISU.

I understand wanting to have your people on the staff. But there has to be more of a mix, especially for a first time head coach. I like all of our assistants, don't get me wrong. After the season, Pedon needs to self-evaluate and identify weaknesses in his abilities and address them. Something is off and he needs help. That said, I'd be surprised if there was a big shake up.

I'm not out on Pedon but if this time next year, we're talking about the same things, the seat is going to start getting mighty warm.

Pretty fair synopsis.

Won't try to paint Judson as a "guru", but his 4 years at Marquette were reasonably successful, 76-50, two post season appearances, altho bad enough in the end that Coach Wojo got fired. His 4 years at Illinois saw three NCAA appearances and 81-48 record under Lon Kruger.

Hard to say if having Mr. Offutt on board from the start and straight through would've made a difference, or let's say how big a difference it would've made. Kinda get the feeling Pedon scrambled a bit to get the train on the track and rolling and maybe it's not rolling along so good.

Same with the portal guys. Took some chances on kids that haven't paid off in a lot of cases. Burford, Foster, pretty good. The rest, so-so, mostly. I heard Pedon talk on the coach's show one night how he might have "passed" on some talented kids because he didn't like their attitudes or habits, or something to that effect. I think that explains some of it, not that a lot of folks on this board will respect that. I sense Pedon's playing the "long game" and that isn't how a lot of folks think these days, and maybe that's gone by the wayside under the current "game". We'll see.

 

[Buffett1]

Not a Richardson fan but he went from 10 and 20 (5 and 13 MVC) to second year to 21 and 9 (12 and 6 2nd MVC. And NIT first rd loss)

 

[gobirds85]

Not a Richardson fan but he went from 10 and 20 (5 and 13 MVC) to second year to 21 and 9 (12 and 6 2nd MVC. And NIT first rd loss)

Ah, the good ole days.

 

[ScoreboardDotRace]

Not a Richardson fan but he went from 10 and 20 (5 and 13 MVC) to second year to 21 and 9 (12 and 6 2nd MVC. And NIT first rd loss)

Crazy too the next year he finishes 12-6 and 3rd place with a team that lost Bryson.

I think what really hurt the program too was they fired Richardson with the expectations of getting someone like Brian Gregory, and they ended up like with their 4th or 5th option in Porter.

 

[Redbird222]

They changed ends their bench was on, thus the change in direction as well. I’m not sure when the change happened though. Maybe after the remodel?

After the remodel ... they moved the band too. I assume they want the visitors next to the band

 

[ISU86]

Commentary on the staff and offense are both things I have been pointing to since last season, so it’s nice to see the consensus. From what I’ve heard about the end of the search from those in the know Kyle Brennan and Mark Muhlhauser went completely rogue on the hire and shocked everyone, including search firms and agents and it’s partly why they’re both out of the industry now. Could be wrong, just some intel on what people are referencing here.

If you consider the Crimson Collective CEO (Utah Utes NIL) for Brennan out of the industry; seems like a VERY soft landing.

Crimson Collective CEO Kyle Brennan Excited To Be Back In Utah

Kyle Brennan will be back with the Utes as the Crimson Collective CEO after serving as the Athletic Director at Illinois State.

kslsports.com

Mulhauser is working with PCC Sports (playing surface installations) as Director of Business Development.

 

[BirdGrad2011]

If you consider the Crimson Collective CEO (Utah Utes NIL) for Brennan out of the industry; seems like a VERY soft landing.

Crimson Collective CEO Kyle Brennan Excited To Be Back In Utah

Kyle Brennan will be back with the Utes as the Crimson Collective CEO after serving as the Athletic Director at Illinois State.

kslsports.com

Mulhauser is working with PCC Sports (playing surface installations) as Director of Business Development.

Kyle already lost that job. He’s now some VP for Pickleball.

 

[SlackBooDom]

If you consider the Crimson Collective CEO (Utah Utes NIL) for Brennan out of the industry; seems like a VERY soft landing.

Crimson Collective CEO Kyle Brennan Excited To Be Back In Utah

Kyle Brennan will be back with the Utes as the Crimson Collective CEO after serving as the Athletic Director at Illinois State.

kslsports.com

Mulhauser is working with PCC Sports (playing surface installations) as Director of Business Development.

I consider getting fired at Utah out of the industry, yes.

 

[BirdGrad2011]

.

Same with the portal guys. Took some chances on kids that haven't paid off in a lot of cases. Burford, Foster, pretty good. The rest, so-so, mostly. I heard Pedon talk on the coach's show one night how he might have "passed" on some talented kids because he didn't like their attitudes or habits, or something to that effect. I think that explains some of it, not that a lot of folks on this board will respect that. I sense Pedon's playing the "long game" and that isn't how a lot of folks think these days, and maybe that's gone by the wayside under the current "game". We'll see.

I think most would be fine on passing on guys like Zach Lofton or Milik Yarbrough for team guys that want to be here and get better. Also fine with playing the long game and taking a bit longer to build it right. That doesn’t mean I’m okay with losing at home to Valpo, UIC.

I think Slay is a good coach and I want to see what he can do with some scholarships.

 

[Aggie]

Welp, as the 10th or 11th seed, at least ISU won’t be the first team going home from Arch Madness this year.

If ISU finishes lower than 9 everyone should be asking how much the buyout is.

 

[jwa123]

I've said before that I wanted us to hire Roger Powell Jr and was upset when I first heard the news about coach Pedon. After watching his press conference and connecting with EJ Liddell's parents (who are friends of mine and former ISU student athletes who said amazing things about him), I felt much more at peace and became enthusiastic and excited that he became our coach. I am also aware that Doug Collins participated in the interview process and am confident he gave his full endorsement of this decision prior to the hire.

If I remember correctly, there was near complete consensus from all fans on this board that coach Pedon's hire was a home run, including from those of us (including myself) that wanted someone else.

No question, the jury is still out on whether this was a great hire or not and the current trend isn't looking good. I've been a part of overseeing hundreds of hires over the years and there's no question that sometimes, the people that interview the best end up not performing and those that interview poorly are the best hires.

While they are different, one common trait that I see with Ryan Pedon and Porter Moser is that they both were fantastic at communicating with an infectious clarity, belief and enthusiasm.

I still fully support coach Pedon but do believe, based on results, that some things much change. One challenge with hiring a first time head coach is that you never fully know what you're going to get because there are many factors that determine success or failure when building a program. I think of Mike Tyson's quote that "Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face". I've been in the ring multiple times (Thai Boxing) and know first hand how true this is and you must find a way to gather yourself and find a path forward. This is something you can't prepare for until you're in the mix.

Metaphorically, as a first time head coach, Pedon is getting punched pretty hard right now. Regardless of what the outcome ends up being, I believe we'll look back at this time as a pivotal moment in his tenure as our head coach. He'll either turn this momentum around and right the ship, or he won't.

I used to get all worked up and upset when my team wasn't winning. Maybe it's age, the fact that I don't live in B/N anymore, or apathy but while I still care and want ISU to succeed, the outcome doesn't matter that much to me anymore. I'm going to continue cheering coach Pedon and the team on and hope they succeed. I've since begun to adopt San Diego State as my team since I live here (and they're good and fun to watch).

Well written. In fact I could have bet money you were writing what my feelings are. I too have moved away from Illinois just not as far west as you have. I have gone beyond anger watching the games. It’s not that I don’t care but after all the losing season after season I just now watch emotionless. If you follow the Pessimist’s Creed, you’re not surprised when the worst happens. I hope ISU bball turns around and I sincerely wish Pedon nothing but the best but at this point I just don’t give a damn anymore. Too many seasons like this year.

 

[Aggie]

I think we have to up our budget to find the next head coach or hit the coaching jackpot. We have been irrelevant for so long that we seem to only go after the young up-and-comers. I am not saying that's wrong- i guess it works around our budget.

They are a lot more coaches making less money then Pedon who are way way more successful. Money is not the issue, whoever is doing the selection is. I still believe ISU needs to find a proven winner from the lower mid majors or lower divisions that has an entertaining style of basketball. ISU is not the little Big However many.

 

[Aggie]

Let’s hire Barry Hinson at least we’ll get some good soundbites, get Marty Simmons on the bench next to him to run the offensive scheme and find tall Lithuanians in recruiting. Half joking

Probably a better plan than what is going on right now.

 

[isutaz]

I don't neccesarily agree on increasing the budget to find the right coach. See the guy coaching the best team in the league. He's making a lot less than Pedon.

I agree, increasing the budget is not the answer. Donors have been milked enough, ISU has other expenses that should be the priority over paying a huge salary to a basketball coach. ISU is at the level that we hire and provide an assistant coach to prove themselves, if that makes sense. I have been at ISU my entire life(60+years), born and raised on this campus. Have been a huge fan of ISU basketball since the Will Robinson/Doug Collins days. Really liked Coach Robinson, he was a good man. Next coach who was good for ISU in my opinion was Bob Donewald, he was not a personable guy, but he did help to keep ISU on the map of success. Was let go from an Athletic Director making a name for themselves. Bender, nothing for me...Stallings was next for me, he got things to a level of Smithson and Donewald again. Then this is where the wheels fall off. Coach Richardson was the worst idea in the world. Athletic Director was leaving, should not have made the Coaching decision before he left. Moser was the first Coach that came from a school where he was the head Coach. I truly thought he was heading in the right direction. Again, another Athletic Director making a name. Jank was fine, stayed longer than I thought he would. I was not a fan on hiring Muller, period, he was to be the knight in shining armor, fan favorite player, great kid when in school here, not the experience we needed. My history rant is worthless, I'm frustrated where things are. My donation never use to feel like an investment, I was fine providing it. Things were fun from the start for me(donations started 1980). I love ISU athletics, OK, appreciate the rant that says nothing of how can I help ISU anymore.

Last rant, play Ryan Schmidt for Pete's sake. Pedon played 6 and a half guys last night. There is a problem with him sitting at the end of the bench, when it sure appears he could provide experience and minutes. OK, enough

 

[Redbird60451]

The Putrid stench around this program and it's image

I’ve heard similar and Ben McCollum was getting a serious look.

That guy builds programs and has a track record. Just like Gillespie on the women's side. We would have been a stepping stone for him, but he would have built a better culture and probably produced a winner or two. I think JR College and Div II coaches are probably better suited to the wild west that the transfer portal has become. Those programs have more consistent turnover, which is the future.

 

[redbirds2000]

My opinion is that his reasons for being here are beyond the style of play or even the guy with the clipboard. I have a feeling he will stay.

That said, while I'm not opposed to upgrading the talent on the roster, unless we change our style of play I'm not sure it will matter much.

There should be no extension for anyone who doesn't get us dancing. His clock is ticking.