Illinois State University on Friday named its new men's basketball coach. Ryan Pedon has spent the last five seasons as an assistant at Ohio State University. Before that, Pedon was at Butler and an assistant at the University of Illinois.
Pedon, who played college ball at the College of Wooster in Ohio, said ISU ticks every one of the boxes that make a right fit for his family — great people, strong academics, a good alumni base, and a competitive environment.
"The tradition of Illinois State men’s basketball is well documented, and we will embrace this at every level. My family and I are so grateful for this opportunity and look forward to building something very special at Illinois State,” said Pedon.
Pedon replaces Dan Muller, who recently was fired after nine seasons. Pedon will be the 20th head men's basketball coach at ISU.
"We could not be more excited to have Ryan Pedon as the leader of our men’s basketball program at Illinois State,” said ISU Director of Athletics Kyle Brennan. “We believe he is the right person to lead the men in our program and help them rise back to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference and into the NCAA tournament."
Brennan also said Pedon's recruiting ties to Illinois and the Midwest will be an asset.
“Ryan’s intelligence, enthusiasm and integrity make him someone we believe our student-athletes will gravitate to and our fans will embrace,” said Brennan. “We look forward to officially welcoming Ryan, his wife, Stephanie, and son, Maddox, to the Bloomington-Normal community on Monday.”
In 2020, Pedon joined Coaches 4 Change (C4C), an organization founded by college basketball coaches who are dedicated to help their student-athletes, their campuses, and their communities. The mission of C4C is to provide a platform that engages, educates, empowers, and evolves the collegiate student-athlete on issues of social injustices, systemic racism, and the power of voting in the endless pursuit of equality, according to a Redbird media release.
Pedon has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Wooster in 2000, and a master’s degree in sport organization from Miami (Ohio) University in 2002.
Fans are invited to welcome Pedon to campus on Monday, March 7, during an open event inside Redbird Arena starting at 11 a.m.
