2018–19 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team

2018–19 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball
2018–19 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball
Conference	Missouri Valley Conference
Record	17–16 (9–9 MVC)
Head coach	Dan Muller (7th season);
Assistant coaches	Brian Reese; Brendan Mullins; Chris Duhon;
Home arena	Redbird Arena
	Seasons ← 2017–18 2019–20 →

2018–19 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Loyola Chicago	12	–	6	.667	20	–	14	.588
Drake	12	–	6	.667	24	–	10	.706
Southern Illinois	10	–	8	.556	17	–	15	.531
Missouri State	10	–	8	.556	16	–	16	.500
Bradley †	9	–	9	.500	20	–	15	.571
Northern Iowa	9	–	9	.500	16	–	18	.471
Illinois State	9	–	9	.500	17	–	16	.515
Indiana State	7	–	11	.389	15	–	16	.484
Valparaiso	7	–	11	.389	15	–	18	.455
Evansville	5	–	13	.278	11	–	21	.344

† 2019 MVC tournament winner

The 2018–19 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds, led by seventh-year head coach Dan Muller, played their home games at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 17–16, 9–9 in MVC play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 7 seed in the MVC Tournament, they defeated Evansville before losing to Drake in the quarterfinals.

Previous season

The Redbrids finished the 2017–18 season 18–15, 10–8 in MVC play to finish in a tie for third place. They defeated Missouri State and Southern Illinois to advance to the championship game of the MVC Tournament where they lost to Loyola–Chicago.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Elijah Clarance	1	G	6'4"	190	Freshman	Malmö, Sweden	Signed to play professionally in Germany with Skyliners Frankfurt
Daouda Ndiaye	4	C	7'0"	215	Junior	Dakar, Senegal	Transferred to Southern Utah
Jerron Martin	24	G	6'0"	175	RS Senior	Prince George's County, MD	Graduated
Madison Williams	25	G	6'3"	170	Sophomore	Augusta, GA	Left the team due to personal reasons
Christian Romine	34	F/C	6'9"	220	RS Sophomore	Mahomet, IL	Left the team due to personal reasons

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous team
Josh Jefferson	11	G	6'2"	173	Junior	New Albany, IN	Junior college transferred from Lake Land College
Keith Fisher III	14	F	6'8"	215	RS Sophomore	Los Angeles, CA	Transferred from San Jose State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Fisher III will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.
Lijah Donnelly	15	G	6'2"	170	Junior	Bloomington, IL	Transferred from Illinois–Springfield. Under NCAA transfer rules, Donnelly will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Jaycee Hillsman	25	G	6'6"	213	Senior	Champaign, IL	Transferred from San Jose State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Hillsman will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have one year of remaining eligibility.
Dedric Boyd	30	G	6'4"	175	Sophomore	Brownsville, TN	Transferred from Eastern Kentucky. Under NCAA transfer rules, Boyd will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Rey Idowu PF	Melbourne, FL	Clearwater Academy International	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Sep 16, 2017
Rey Idowu PF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR
Abdou Ndiaye PF	Louga, Senegal	The Nation Christian Academy	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Apr 16, 2018
Abdou Ndiaye PF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
D.J. Horne PG	Cary, NC	Trinity Christian School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Sep 9, 2018
D.J. Horne PG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2018–19 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Isaac Gassman	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	RS So	Ottawa Township HS	Utica, IL
G	2	Zach Copeland	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sr	Berkely HS City College of San Francisco	Oakland, CA
G	3	Keyshawn Evans	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sr	Sagemont School	Plantation, FL
F	4	Abdou Ndiaye	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Barnabas Christian Academy	Louga, Senegal
G	5	Matt Hein	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	RS Jr	Windermere Prep	Windermere, FL
F	10	Phil Fayne	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Sr	Franklin HS Western Nebraska CC	Elk Grove, CA
G	11	Josh Jefferson	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jr	New Albany HS Lake Land College	New Albany, IN
F	13	Rey Idowu	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Fr	Clearwater Academy	Melbourne, FL
F	14	Keith Fisher III (I)	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	RS So	Westchester HS San Jose State	Los Angeles, CA
G	15	Lijah Donnelly	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jr	Bloomington HS Illinois–Springfield	Bloomington, IN
G/F	22	Matt Chastain (W)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	RS So	LeRoy High School Loyola–Chicago	LeRoy, IL
G	23	William Tinsley	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sr	Ridgeview HS Lake Land College	Colfax, IL
G	25	Jaycee Hillsman	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	213 lb (97 kg)	Sr	Simeon Career Academy San Jose State	Champaign, IL
G	30	Dedric Boyd	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	So	Haywood HS Eastern Kentucky	Brownsville, TN
F	32	Taylor Bruninga	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	So	Illini Bluffs HS	Mapleton, IL
F	52	Malik Yarbrough	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	RS Sr	Zion-Benton Township HS Saint Louis	Zion, IL

Head coach

Dan Muller (Illinois State)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2018* 7:00 pm		Lewis	W 80–58		20 – Fayne	12 – Fayne	6 – Hein	Redbird Arena Normal, IL
Nov 3, 2018* 12:00 pm		Augustana (IL)	W 82–74		23 – Fayne	11 – Tinsley	5 – Yarbrough	Redbird Arena (4,218) Normal, IL
Non-conference regular season
Nov 6, 2018* 6:00 pm, NBCSCH		Florida Gulf Coast	W 74–66	1–0	17 – 3 tied	11 – Fayne	5 – Copeland	Redbird Arena (4,764) Normal, IL
Nov 10, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Belmont	L 89–100	1–1	23 – Fayne	6 – Tinsley	5 – Copeland	Curb Event Center (3,086) Nashville, TN
Nov 13, 2018* 7:00 pm, NBCSCH		Chicago State Cayman Islands Classic campus site game	W 75–71	2–1	25 – Yarbrough	9 – Yarbrough	7 – Yarbrough	Redbird Arena (4,320) Normal, IL
Nov 19, 2018* 1:30 pm, Stadium		vs. Georgia Cayman Islands Classic Quarterfinals	L 68–80	2–2	20 – Yarbrough	8 – Yarbrough	4 – Yarbrough	John Gray Gymnasium (1,180) George Town, Cayman Islands
Nov 20, 2018* 10:00 am, Stadium		vs. Akron Cayman Islands Classic consolation 2nd round	W 73–68	3–2	19 – Jefferson	16 – Yarbrough	6 – Copeland	John Gray Gymnasium (667) George Town, Cayman Islands
Nov 21, 2018* 12:30 pm, Stadium		vs. Boise State Cayman Islands Classic 5th place game	W 73–70	4–2	28 – Yarbrough	8 – Yarbrough	6 – Yarbrough	John Gray Gymnasium (525) George Town, Cayman Islands
Nov 24, 2018* 2:00 pm, ESPN3		Lindenwood	W 79–62	5–2	15 – Copeland	9 – Tinsley	6 – Tied	Redbird Arena (3,737) Normal, IL
Nov 28, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		BYU	W 92–89 ^OT	6–2	20 – Fayne	10 – Fayne	7 – Copeland	Redbird Arena (6,187) Normal, IL
Dec 1, 2018* 2:00 pm, ESPN3		San Diego State MW–MVC Challenge	L 65–75	6–3	16 – Tied	13 – Yarbrough	2 – Tied	Redbird Arena (6,245) Normal, IL
Dec 5, 2018* 6:00 pm, NBCSCH		at UIC	L 75–94	6–4	30 – Yarbrough	6 – Tied	5 – Jefferson	Credit Union 1 Arena (2,197) Chicago, IL
Dec 8, 2018* 7:00 pm, NBCSCH		Ole Miss	L 74–81	6–5	19 – Yarbrough	11 – Fayne	6 – Yarbrough	Redbird Arena (6,598) Normal, IL
Dec 16, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPN+		Cleveland State	W 88–77 ^OT	7–5	30 – Fayne	9 – Fayne	5 – Tied	Redbird Arena (4,225) Normal, IL
Dec 21, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPN3		at UCF	L 56–77	7–6	10 – Tied	6 – Fayne	3 – Copeland	CFE Arena (3,385) Orlando, FL
Missouri Valley Conference regular season
Jan 2, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Valparaiso	L 56–58	7–7 (0–1)	21 – Copeland	9 – Chastain	3 – Tied	Athletics–Recreation Center (3,818) Valparaiso, IN
Jan 5, 2019 3:00 pm, FSMW/NBCSCH		Evansville	W 58–46	8–7 (1–1)	20 – Fayne	12 – Yarbrough	7 – Yarbrough	Redbird Arena (5,643) Normal, IL
Jan 8, 2019 7:00 pm, NBCSCH		Northern Iowa	W 70–69	9–7 (2–1)	23 – Yarbrough	8 – Yarbrough	4 – Copeland	Redbird Arena (4,107) Normal, IL
Jan 12, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN2		at Loyola–Chicago	L 64–67	9–8 (2–2)	19 – Yarbrough	8 – Yarbrough	3 – Yarbrough	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,513) Chicago, IL
Jan 15, 2019 6:00 pm, CBSSN		Southern Illinois	W 59–58	10–8 (3–2)	14 – Copeland	8 – Fayne	3 – Tied	Redbird Arena (4,588) Normal, IL
Jan 19, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Evansville	W 78–70	11–8 (4–2)	27 – Yarbrough	8 – Yarbrough	7 – Copeland	Ford Center (5,731) Evansville, IN
Jan 23, 2019 6:00 pm, FSMW/NBCSCH		at Bradley I-74 Rivalry	L 68-85	11–9 (4–3)	25 – Yarbrough	6 – Fayne	5 – Copeland	Carver Arena (7,122) Peoria, IL
Jan 27, 2019 1:00 pm, CBSSN		Indiana State	W 76-62	12–9 (5–3)	26 – Fayne	6 – Chastain	5 – Yarbrough	Redbird Arena (5,141) Normal, IL
Jan 30, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Drake	W 69–55	13–9 (6–3)	22 – Fayne	9 – Yarbrough	5 – Yarbrough	Knapp Center (3,511) Des Moines, IA
Feb 2, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN2		Loyola–Chicago	W 65-57	14–9 (7–3)	21 – Yarbrough	6 – Fayne	3 – Evans	Redbird Arena (8,107) Normal, IL
Feb 5, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Valparaiso	L 53-69	14-10 (7-4)	17 – Copeland	5 – Yarbrough	3 – Copeland	Redbird Arena Normal, IL
Feb 10, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN3		at Missouri State	L 65–66	14–11 (7–5)	22 – Fayne	6 – Tied	3 – Tied	JQH Arena Springfield, MO
Feb 13, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Northern Iowa	L 64–77	14–12 (7–6)	21 – Fayne	9 – Tinsley	4 – Evans	McLeod Center (3,364) Cedar Falls, IA
Feb 16, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2		Bradley I-74 Rivalry	L 59–65	14–13 (7–7)	20 – Yarbrough	11 – Fayne	5 – Chastain	Redbird Arena (9,011) Normal, IL
Feb 20, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN+		at Indiana State	L 50–73	14–14 (7–8)	16 – Fayne	5 – Tied	5 – Copeland	Hulman Center (3,253) Terre Haute, IN
Feb 24, 2019 1:00 pm/3:00 pm, CBSSN		Drake	W 67–60	15–14 (8–8)	21 – Yarbrough	9 – Fayne	4 – Yarbrough	Redbird Arena (4,985) Normal, IL
Feb 27, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN+		Missouri State	W 65–57	16–14 (9–8)	28 – Yarbrough	9 – Yarbrough	3 – Yarbrough	Redbird Arena (4,468) Normal, IL
Mar 2, 2019 1:00 pm, CBSSN		at Southern Illinois	L 63–72	16–15 (9–9)	21 – Fayne	7 – Chastain	2 – Tied	SIU Arena (4,599) Carbondale, IL
Missouri Valley Tournament
Mar 7, 2019 8:35 pm, ESPN+	(7)	vs. (10) Evansville First Round	W 65–60	17–15	18 – Yarbrough	10 – Fayne	2 – Tied	Enterprise Center (5,004) St. Louis, MO
Mar 8, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN+	(7)	vs. (2) Drake Quarterfinals	L 62–78	17–16	18 – Fayne	7 – Yarbrough	3 – Tied	Enterprise Center St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source^[1]

References

^ "Illinois State Athletics – 2018–19 Men's Basketball Schedule". goredbirds.com.

[1] "Illinois State Athletics – 2018–19 Men's Basketball Schedule". goredbirds.com.

[1]

v t e Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball
Venues	John W. Cook Hall (1898–1925) McCormick Gymnasium (1925–1963) Horton Field House (1963–1988) CEFCU Arena (1989–present)
Rivalries	Bradley
Culture & lore	Reggie Redbird "Go, You Redbirds"
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25