2020–21 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds, led by ninth-year head coach Dan Muller, played their home games at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 7–18, 4–14 in MVC play to finish in 10th place. In the MVC tournament, they lost to Northern Iowa in the first round.

2020–21 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record7–18 (4–14 MVC)
Head coach
Associate head coachBrian Jones
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDoug Collins Court
at Redbird Arena
Seasons
2020–21 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 17 Loyola Chicago 16 2   .889 26 5   .839
Drake 15 3   .833 26 5   .839
Missouri State 12 6   .667 17 7   .708
Indiana State 11 7   .611 15 10   .600
Evansville 7 11   .389 9 16   .360
Valparaiso 7 11   .389 10 18   .357
Northern Iowa 7 11   .389 10 15   .400
Bradley 6 12   .333 12 16   .429
Southern Illinois 5 13   .278 12 14   .462
Illinois State 4 14   .222 7 18   .280
2021 MVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Redbirds finished the 2019–20 season 10–21, 5–13 in MVC play to finish in ninth place. In the MVC tournament, they lost to Drake in the first round.

Offseason

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Departures

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Name # Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Comment
Jaycee Hillsman 25 G 6'6" 230 RS Senior Champaign, IL Graduation
Zach Copeland 2 G 6'4" 195 Senior Oakland, CA Graduation
Ricky Torres 3 G 6'2" 180 Senior Pinellas Park, FL Graduation
Matt Chastain 22 G 6'6" 210 RS Junior LeRoy, IL Retired due to injury
Lijah Donnelly 15 G 6'2" 170 RS Junior Bloomington, IL Lincoln College
Keith Fisher III 5 F 6'8" 220 RS Junior Los Angeles, CA Opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Taylor Bruninga 32 F 6'8" 210 RS Sophomore Mapleton, IL Retired due to injury
Rey Idowu 13 F 6'9" 240 Sophomore Melbourne, FL Tulsa

2020 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Alston Andrews
F
Detroit, MI Ocoee High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Nov 18, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Howard Fleming Jr.
G
Louisville, KY Male High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Nov 20, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Emon Washington
G
Atlanta, GA South Cobb High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 13, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/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:

  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Incoming transfers

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Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Prior school
Sy Chatman F 6'8" 220 Junior Minneapolis, MN UMass
Dusan Mahorcic F 6'10" 240 Junior Belgrade, Serbia Moberly Area Community College
Josiah Strong G 6'3" 195 Junior Brooklyn Park, MN Iowa Western Community College
Alex Kotov F 6'10" 220 Sophomore Moscow, Russia Daytona State College

Roster

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2020–21 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 DJ Horne 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Trinity Academy Raleigh, NC
G 1 Dedric Boyd 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Haywood High School
Eastern Kentucky
Brownsville, TN
G 2 Josiah Strong 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Champlin Park High School
Navy
Iowa Western Community College
Brooklyn Park, MN
G 3 Howard Fleming Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Male High School Louisville, KY
F 4 Abdou Ndiaye 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So The Nation Christian Academy Louga, Senegal
G 10 Emon Washington 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr South Cobb High School Atlanta, GA
F 11 Alston Andrews 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Ocoee High School Detroit, MI
G 12 Antonio Reeves 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Simeon Career Academy Chicago, IL
G 14 Nik Stadelman (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Guilford High School Rockford, IL
F 21 Dusan Mahorcic 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Notre Dame College Prep
Lewis
Moberly Area Community College
Belgrade, Serbia
F 23 Harouna Sissoko 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Fr Grand View Christian School Kayes, Mali
G 24 Jayden Johnson (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Batavia High School Batavia, IL
F 25 Alex Kotov 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Montverde Academy
Palm Beach State College
Daytona State College
Moscow, Russia
F 30 Sy Chatman (L) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Cretin-Derham High School
Massachusetts
Minneapolis, MN
G 34 Malcolm Miller   (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Fr Shelbyville High School Shelbyville, IL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster
Last update: March 24, 2021

NOTE: (L) indicates left team in-season

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-Conference Regular Season
November 25, 2020*
1:00 pm, ESPN
at No. 23 Ohio State
Columbus Multi-Team Event
L 67–94  0–1
 17  Reeves   7  Reeves   7  Fleming Jr.  Value City Arena (0)
Columbus, OH
November 28, 2020*
12:00 pm
vs. UMass Lowell
Columbus Multi-Team Event
W 82–72  1–1
 21  Strong   10  Sissoko   2  3 tied  Covelli Center (0)
Columbus, OH
December 2, 2020*
5:00 pm, ESPN3
Greenville W 177–108  2–1
 30  Washington   7  3 tied   11  Strong  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
December 5, 2020*
5:00 pm, ESPN+
at Murray State L 65–76  2–2
 16  Reeves   9  Mahorcic   5  Strong  CFSB Center (1,290)
Murray, KY
December 12, 2020*
6:00 pm, ESPN3
at Ball State L 66–82  2–3
 15  Boyd   13  Mahorcic   4  Strong  John E. Worthen Arena (107)
Muncie, IN
December 15, 2020*
2:00 pm, ESPN3
Chicago State W 91–62  3–3
 22  Horne   9  Fleming Jr.   6  Strong  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season
December 27, 2020
3:00 pm, (FSIN/FSKC/FSMW/NBCSCH)
at Loyola-Chicago L 60–90  3–4
(0–1)
 18  Horne   8  Mahorcic   2  3 tied  Joseph J. Gentile Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
December 28, 2020
6:00 pm, CBSSN
at Loyola-Chicago L 55-86  3–5
(0–2)
 21  Strong   6  Horne   3  4 tied  Joseph J. Gentile Arena (0)
Chicago, IL
January 2, 2021
4:30 pm
Valparaiso postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso;[1] rescheduled for January 23, 2021[2] Redbird Arena 
Normal, IL
January 3, 2021
4:30 pm
Valparaiso postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Valparaiso; rescheduled for January 24, 2021 Redbird Arena 
Normal, IL
January 9, 2021
1:00 pm, ESPN3
at Evansville L 48-57  3–6
(0–3)
 11  Reeves   11  Mahorcic   2  tied  Ford Center (0)
Evansville, IN
January 10, 2021
1:00 pm, ESPN3
at Evansville W 73–68  4–6
(1–3)
 21  Reeves   9  Sissoko   2  tied  Ford Center (0)
Evansville, IN
January 16, 2021
3:00 pm, MVC-TV
Indiana State L 65–73  4–7
(1–4)
 16  Horne   9  Mahorcic   5  Horne  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
January 17, 2021
3:00 pm, Marquee
Indiana State L 68–74  4–8
(1–5)
 19  Boyd   11  Mahorcic   4  Strong  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
January 20, 2021
8:00 pm, Marquee
Bradley
I–74 Rivalry
(site swap with
February 17, 2021 game)
W 71–56  5–8
(2–5)
 23  Horne   9  Mahorcic   4  Fleming Jr.  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
January 23, 2021
5:00 pm, Marquee
Valparaiso L 60–69  5–9
(2–6)
 19  Horne   10  Fleming Jr.   4  Fleming Jr.  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
January 24, 2021
5:00 pm, Marquee
Valparaiso L 66–70  5–10
(2–7)
 20  Horne   6  tied   3  tied  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
January 31, 2021
2:00 pm, ESPN3
at Drake L 76–78 OT 5–11
(2–8)
 27  Reeves   7  Horne   4  tied  The Knapp Center (947)
Des Moines, IA
February 1, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN3
at No. 25 Drake L 60–95  5–12
(2–9)
 20  Reeves   7  Ndiaye   3  Fleming Jr.  The Knapp Center (737)
Des Moines, IA
February 6, 2021
2:00 pm, ESPN3
Missouri State L 67–74  5–13
(2–10)
 23  Horne   8  Mahorcic   3  Horne  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
February 7, 2021
2:00 pm, Marquee
Missouri State L 62–72  5–14
(2–11)
 18  Horne   15  Mahorcic   3  Fleming Jr.  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
February 13, 2021
3:00 pm, ESPN3
at Southern Illinois W 80–55  6–14
(3–11)
 17  Horne   10  Washington   6  Fleming Jr.  Banterra Center (0)
Carbondale, IL
February 14, 2021
3:00 pm, ESPN3
at Southern Illinois L 49–59  6–15
(3–12)
 14  Strong   8  Fleming Jr.   3  Horne  Banterra Center (0)
Carbondale, IL
February 17, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Bradley rescheduled for February 18, 2021 due to scheduling issues[3][4] Carver Arena 
Peoria, IL
February 18, 2021
6:00 pm, ESPN3
at Bradley
I-74 Rivalry
W 88–71  7–15
(4–12)
 20  Washington   8  Washington   5  Fleming Jr.  Carver Arena (0)
Peoria, IL
February 26, 2021
8:00 pm, ESPNU
Northern Iowa L 56–70  7–16
(4–13)
 18  Mahorcic   8  Mahorcic   4  Fleming Jr.  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
February 27, 2021
5:00 pm, CBSSN
Northern Iowa L 87–94 2OT 7–17
(4–14)
 34  Horne   9  Mahorcic   5  Horne  Redbird Arena (0)
Normal, IL
State Farm
Missouri Valley Conference {MVC} tournament
March 4, 2021*
8:08 pm, MVC-TV
(10) vs. (7) Northern Iowa
Opening Round
L 60–65  7–18
 15  Mahorcic   7  3 tied   4  Horne  Enterprise Center (663)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[5]

NOTE: limited capacity or no spectators allowed per the corresponding local COVID-19 health guidelines.

References

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  1. ^ "Valpo Men's Basketball Pauses Team Activities". www.valpoathletics.com. Valparaiso Athletics. December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  2. ^ "MVC ANNOUNCES BASKETBALL RESCHEDULING / SCHEDULE SHIFTS". www.mvc-sports.com. Missouri Valley Conference. January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "BRADLEY-ILLINOIS STATE CONTEST MOVED TO THURSDAY (FEB. 18)". www.mvc-sports.com. Missouri Valley Conference. February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  4. ^ Dave Eminian (February 13, 2021). "Bradley basketball rematch with Illinois State moved, player families allowed at final 3 games". www.pjstar.com. Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  5. ^ "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule". www.goredbirds.com. Illinois State University Athletics. Retrieved March 5, 2021.