NORMAL, Ill. – The influences on Ryan Pedon 's career are as numerous as the meticulously curated framed photos on the wall of his office.
It's an unseasonably warm fall afternoon with sunlight streaming from the western-facing windows overlooking the edge of campus. The first game of Pedon's 26th year in the coaching profession, and his fourth season as head coach for the Redbirds, is still more than a month away. It's an off day for his players, a chance for rest and recovery in the early stages of the preseason grind, but there are meetings to be held and plans to be made.
Seated at the conference table in his office, Pedon is in his element. Down the hallway, players filter in and out to go over film, talk with coaches or generally be present in the office despite no requirement to be there. Over his right shoulder, near the windows, is a framed photo that says "ALL IN" and has been signed by each member of this year's Illinois State team. The physical act of putting pen to paper is valued by the coach and just one of many tiny details that add up to what the Redbirds hope add up to something much bigger.
That belief is palpable inside the offices inside CEFCU Arena, where the men's basketball program's offices share an address with the athletic department and a few other teams. Spend more than five minutes with the perpetually smiling Pedon and odds are you will get a motivational quote, a slogan of some sort or a mixture of the two.
Fueling it all, though, is what's reflected on the walls and, just as importantly, stacked on a minifridge in Pedon's office. With photos of family members, former players and milestone coaching moments all around, there's a stack of books anchored by one that beckons to a kid from Bexley whose family had season tickets to Ohio State men's basketball games at St. John Arena and who would go on to be a Buckeyes assistant coach from 2018-22.
It's "You Win With People!" by former Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes.
"I want people to understand very clearly our DNA, and that really starts with the character of the people," Pedon said. "You win with people."
At the dawn of year four, Illinois State is on the cusp of doing that.
Pedon's coaching staff should be familiar to basketball fans from the Midwest. Former Ohio State guard and Michigan transfer Andrew Dakich followed Pedon from the Buckeyes to the Redbirds and is in his fourth year as an assistant. Associate head coach Jason Slay held his same position at Youngstown State from 2017-21. Assistants Mike Netti and Jack Betz were both with Pedon at Ohio State, Netti as an assistant and Betz as a student manager.
Even newly hired director of basketball operations Ethan Morton spent four years playing at Purdue. Family photos or coaching photos of each staff member are posted just above their nameplates near the door frame, another subtle nod to the family-like atmosphere Pedon has been working to build.
"Coach has a saying that you win with people, and it's very true," Dakich said.
Pedon's knack for building rapport with those around him is evident. Walking past the statue of Will Robinson and Doug Collins outside the eastern entrance to the arena, Pedon is quickly stopped by an elderly man in a white Illinois State fleece for a quick chat about the team before the coach continues on. Back inside the arena, Pedon points out a team photo of last year's Redbirds celebrating after they defeated Cleveland State in the College Basketball Invitational championship.
Everyone is pointing at the camera, a pose Pedon has dubbed the "Redbird Point." Among the framed photos on the wall is an illustration of a giant hand pointing, right index finger outstretched. His teenage son, Maddox, is a master at the move, using it to promote the program on his own Instagram page or via interview clips where he talks to members of the team in a recurring series called the "Maddox Minute."
On Oct. 9, Maddox got to record one with Urban Meyer, who was an Illinois State assistant football coach from 1988-89. That night, Meyer was the featured speaker as part of the "A Night With The Redbirds" fundraiser that saw 65 fully seated tables crammed onto the playing surface at the arena all listening to the retired coach. At this level, fundraising is a critical component to any program's chances for success, but so is delivering the right message to a team.
Before his public speaking engagement, Meyer spent roughly an hour talking to Pedon's team about togetherness, toughness and accountability. It's a message Pedon said is taking root with this program, pointing to a text message he'd received earlier in the week from a current player.
"I challenged a guy," Pedon said, pulling his phone out to double-check the wording. "Got a text message: 'Appreciate the accountability today, coach. I will be better for the team.' That's regular stuff for us. That's why he's here, because he's capable of thinking like that and sending a text like that."
At the fundraiser, Pedon told the crowd of more than 600 supporters that there were three things he set out to do upon his arrival: Assemble a roster that valued high school recruiting from the state and region, connect with and impact the community and build a program that can experience sustained success.
Slogans, gestures and speeches only go so far, though. So while St. Charles alumnus Chase Walker signed to play for fellow Bexley native Pedon, it wasn't until the early part of his sophomore year that all of the program values became very real to him. It happened while the Redbirds were in the Virgin Islands as part of the Paradise Jam tournament and the 6-foot-9, 280-pound center could not calm down.
"I get really nervous, anxiety problems sometimes, where you think about what can go wrong and you snowball," Walker said. "We were in a meeting and he called me outside and we were talking for I think an hour and a half just about how to calm down, exercises, things to help. He didn't have to do that.
"Things like that, I would run through a brick wall for that dude."
Players at the mid-major level who make the kind of jump Walker did aren't expected to be in one place for long. Not in the era of the transfer portal, immediate eligibility and name, image and likeness opportunities.
So when Walker went from a redshirt candidate as a freshman in 2023-24 to a first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference pick after averaging 15.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore, it stood to reason that he would become a hot commodity for a high-major program. Instead, Walker not only chose to stay, but he made his decision public before the transfer portal even opened.
"I looked at the situation and I was like, 'Am I with good people? Am I with people that's going to develop me as a basketball player? Am I around people that's going to help me as a man?' " Walker said. "They checked all the boxes. The question wasn't why would I stay, the question was why would I leave?"
Walker's decision to stay helped convince some of his teammates to return, and the result is a roster with the fifth-most returning points in Division I men's basketball, Pedon said. After going 11-21 in Pedon's first season, Illinois State improved to 15-17 in 2023-24 and then to 22-14 last season. Those 22 wins are the most since the Redbirds went 28-7 in 2016-17 and earned a No. 1 seed in the NIT.
For the first time since the 2000-01 season, the Redbirds were picked to win the conference in this year's preseason poll. Illinois State has not reached the NCAA Tournament since the 1997-98 season.
Pedon described the situation as a rallying cry his coaching staff utilizes in recruiting.
"I tell guys this on every recruiting visit: We haven't been to the tournament since 1998," Pedon said, tapping the table for emphasis with every word. "I'm starting the conversation with that. I need dudes that are going to run to that, not run from that."
Sustained success at the mid-major level is as elusive as ever. Although the Redbirds retained 65.49% of their scoring from last season, there's no guarantee they'll be able to approach that number next year. The same goes for any other program in a one-bid league in this era of college basketball.
It's a big part of the reason Pedon leans into relationships, slogans, gestures and family to try and build what he hopes will be a sustainable winner. The other part?
There's no other way he can do it. Relationships built on trust are everything to the 47-year-old coach who still bounds around campus with the energy of someone half his age.
"Being close and connected doesn't just happen because you say it," he said. "It requires intentional effort. I don't think it's terribly complicated."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: In year four at Illinois State Ryan Pedon aiming to 'win with people'
