Illinois St

Illinois State Tops Wright State, 69-61

Press Release — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:54:56 -0500

DAYTON, Ohio - Behind a balanced scoring attack with all five Illinois State starters in double-figure points, the Redbirds led from the first basket until the final whistle and claimed a 69-61 non-conference season-opening victory over Wright State at the Ervin J. Nutter Center Saturday night.

With the victory, the Redbirds claimed their third-straight non-conference road victory, dating back to last season, and improved to 1-0 on the season.

Champ Oguchi, who posted his first career double-double with a career-best 13 rebounds and added 14 points, put the Redbirds on the scoreboard first with a three-point basket at the 18:31 mark in the first half. The Redbirds jumped out to a 13-5 lead at the 13:50 mark with a fast-break dunk by Osiris Eldridge, who posted a game-high 15 points.

Wright State closed the gap to two points twice, but ISU used a 17-7 run late in the half to build a 35-23 lead at the 3:29 mark. The Raiders decreased their deficit to 38-33, but Eldridge sank a deep three-pointer with three seconds left in the half for the 41-33 midway margin.

After a pair of free throws by Sead Odzic at the 13:22 mark in the second half, the Redbirds pushed the lead back up to double-digits, 51-41. ISU maintained at least a 10-point lead for the rest of the half until Wright State made its final run in the final four minutes. An 8-0 Raider run closed the Redbird lead to 62-59, with 57 seconds left, but Lloyd Phillips sank a running layup in the lane to put ISU up, 64-59, with 43 seconds left.

Oguchi sank three of his four free throw attempts down the stretch to seal the victory.

Emmanuel Holloway added 12 points for the Redbirds, while both Dinma Odiakosa and Phillips added 10 points apiece. WSU's Vaughn Duggins and Cooper Land led the Raiders with 12 points each.

- Illinois State Media Relations

Illinois State Adds Pair of Chicago Recruits

Press Release — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:24:53 -0500

NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State head men's basketball Tim Jankovich announced that Terrence Johnson (North Lawndale College Prep - Chicago) and Zeke Upshaw (University High School - Chicago) each signed National Letters of Intent Wednesday, during the NCAA early-signing period, to continue their education and basketball careers at Illinois State University.

"Both Terrence and Zeke are outstanding young men and tremendous students," said Jankovich. "Terrence is the prototype guard that we look for. He is a very good ball-handler and shooter, as well as a playmaker. I think Terrence has the potential to be an outstanding leader. He's a high-character kid, who is very bright."

Both Johnson and Upshaw were teammates on the Mac Irvin Fire AAU program. At six-foot, 170 pounds, Johnson played point guard last season at St. Rita High School. As a senior, he will suit up for North Lawndale College Prep. Johnson is rated as the No. 11 player in the City/Suburban Hoops Report 2009 player rankings.

As a junior, Johnson averaged 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals per game at St. Rita. Named to the all-tournament team at the 2007 McGovern Classic, he carries a 4.1 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and received all-conference and all-area academic honors. His sister, Brittanny, is currently a senior on the Boston College women's basketball team.

Upshaw, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound shooting guard, is the first player from University High School, which is affiliated with the University of Chicago, to receive an NCAA Division I basketball scholarship. As a junior, he averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists per game last season.

"Zeke has tremendous potential and his best days are definitely ahead of him," said Jankovich. "At 6-foot-6, he is an exceptional ball-handler for his size, and at the same time, he's a good three-point shooter. I think Zeke will do nothing but get better and better during his career."

Named first-team all-conference as a junior, Upshaw was also named the Independent School League (ISL) Player of the Year. He averaged 18 points, six rebounds and four assists as a sophomore.

Missouri Valley Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:42:29 -0500

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Conference Rank: 9th

10 year average: 9th

MVC Conference Page

All-MVC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Bryan Mullins	So. Illinois	Sr
G	Osiris Eldridge	Illinois St	Jr
G	Josh Young	Drake	Jr
G	P'Allen Stinnett	Creighton	So
F	Jonathan Cox	Drake	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
High-Major All-Americans Jonathan Cox Osiris Eldridge Bryan Mullins P'Allen Stinnett Josh Young		Points: Josh Young 15.9 Rebounds: Jonathan Cox 8.5 Assists: Bryan Mullins 5.0

MVC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

24	Creighton	MVC	1	NCAA
43	Southern Illinois	MVC	2	NCAA
56	Drake**	MVC	3	NIT
64	Bradley	MVC	4	NIT
82	Illinois State	MVC	5	NIT
110	Indiana State	MVC	6
134	Wichita State	MVC	7
161	Northern Iowa	MVC	8
198	Evansville	MVC	9
211	Missouri State	MVC	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MVC?

Other MVC Content

Head Coach Q&A's

Tim Jankovich: Illinois State

Conference Media Poll

Creighton Top Media Poll

Other

How Many MVC Teams Will Make the Tourney?

Rise & Fall: MVC

MVC/MWC Challenge Announced

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the MVC?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:05:39 -0400

MVC Media Poll: Creighton Favored

Press Release — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:20:26 -0400

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton men¹s basketball team is the near-unanimous pick to win the Missouri Valley Conference, according to the preseason poll announced today during the league¹s annual Basketball Media Day. Creighton earned 36 of 39 first-place votes in the survey of league coaches, beat writers, sports information directors and play-by-play men.

Pollsters have accurately predicted the league¹s regular-season champ only 10 times out of 24 since 1985-86, but Bluejay fans can take solace knowing that 21 of those 24 predicted champs have gone on to postseason play, with 15 of those 21 playing in the NCAA Tournament.

This is the second time in three years that Creighton has been picked to win The Valley, and league-high seventh time overall since the preseason poll began in 1985-86. Creighton won the regular-season title in two of their previous six runs as favorite (1990-91 and 2000-01) and finished in second place the other four times (1989-90, 1998-99. 2002-03. 2006-07).

The preseason poll doesn¹t always match the year-end standings. Last year¹s poll forecasted Drake to finish ninth in the MVC. The Bulldogs proved everyone wrong, going 28-5 and winning the Valley regular-season title by two games over an Illinois State team tabbed fifth in the preseason.

Creighton collected 36 first-place votes and earned 386 of a maximum 390 points in the preseason poll. Southern Illinois grabbed two first-place votes and was second with 322 points, just ahead of Illinois State, which had 309 points and garnered the remaining first-place vote. Defending league
regular-season and tournament champion Drake was fourth with 274 points, its best preseason pick the 1991-92 season. Bradley was fifth with 219 points while UNI was sixth with 186 points. Rounding out the bottom four teams were Indiana State (137), Evansville (122), Wichita State (105) and Missouri State (85).

2008-09 MVC Preseason Poll

Rk. School (1st place votes) Total
1. Creighton (36) 386
2. Southern Illinois (2) 322
3. Illinois State (1) 309
4. Drake 274
5. Bradley 219
6. Northern Iowa 186
7. Indiana State 137
8. Evansville 122
9. Wichita State 105
10. Missouri State 85

Poll determined by panel of league sports information directors and media.

Preseason All-MVC Team

Jonathan Cox, Sr., F, Drake
Osiris Eldridge*, Jr., G, Illinois State
Bryan Mullins, Sr., G, Southern Illinois
P¹Allen Stinnett, So., G, Creighton
Josh Young, Jr., G, Drake
*Preseason Player of the Year

Honorable Mention:
Shy Ely (Evansville)
Jason Holsinger (Evansville)
Andrew Warren (Bradley)
Theron Wilson (Bradley)

Illinois State's Tim Jankovich: Head Coach Q&A

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:04:26 -0400

College Basketball's Best Coaches

CollegeHoops.net is lucky to have access to some of the best coaches in college basketball. As part of our preseason interview series, we thought it would be appropriate to ask these basketball minds about the best things that their team and college basketball has to offer.

Tim Jankovich: Illinois State

We continue this month long Q&A Series with 2nd year Illinois State coach Tim Jankovich, who led the Redbirds to a surprising 25-10 record and an NIT bid in his first season. Coach Jankovich was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer questions for CollegeHoops.net:

CollegeHoops.net) What will be the best strength of this year's team?

Tim Jankovich) Hopefully, speed and quickness.

CollegeHoops.net) Any major weaknesses?

TJ) One of the last things I would ever want to do in my life is put our (team’s) weaknesses on the Internet. We are going to try to hide those, if we can.

CHN) Who are the biggest leader on this year's squad?

TJ) Right now, I would say we have two. One is Emmanuel Holloway, who is a senior, and he had an outstanding year for us last year. He is just a natural leader. He’s made up of all the things that you would expect one day to be a coach. A lot of times, I feel like he is definitely an extension of the coaching staff. The other guy is another senior who transferred from Oregon, Champ Oguchi. I think he’s taken a leadership role. He got a great perspective sitting out a year; it’s his senior season and he’s made some sacrifices to come here and sit out, so I think he has a little bit of an extra hunger about him that probably motivates him to take a little bit more of an aggressive role.

CHN) What's the best change you've made in your coaching style in recent seasons?

TJ) Well, since this is only my second season, I haven’t made too many yet. I think I need to have a few more years go by before anything drastic probably starts to happen.

CHN) If everything goes according to plan, what's the best case scenario this season?

TJ) To me, our best-case scenario is always to come as close to maximizing our talent and our potential as possible. Whatever that is, is the ultimate to me.

CHN) Tie score, with just a few seconds left … who will be your go-to guy in those situations?

TJ) I’m not someone that likes to designate or predetermine those kinds of things. I think those are always heat of the battle decisions that are made. Truthfully, I like a lot of that to actually come from the players and not the coaches.

CollegeHoops.net 08-09 Preview: Interviews | Complete Top 144 Ranking | 08-09 Preview Homepage | Discuss the Preview

Illinois State's Kenyon Smith Ineligible

Press Release — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:11:21 -0400

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State freshman Kenyon Smith failed to meet the NCAA's minimum academic eligibility standards and won't be allowed to play on the Redbird men’s basketball team this season.

“Obviously, we have known about this situation for some time, but we were hopeful that his two appeals would be heard and be ruled in his favor,” said ISU head coach Tim Jankovich. “The NCAA originally ruled him eligible and later placed one of his marks in question. I feel badly for Keynon, as he cannot be a member of our team nor on scholarship for at least a year.”

Under NCAA rules, Smith, who is still enrolled at Illinois State, will not be allowed to practice with the team or receive athletic aid during the 2008-09 season, and will lose a year of eligibility. He can regain that lost year of eligibility, however. To do that, the Chicago Simeon High School product must complete 80 percent of his designated degree program by the beginning of his fifth academic year.

State of '08: Illinois

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:40:02 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Illinois. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

ILLINOIS

ILLINOIS - In 2005, Bruce Weber led Illinois to the National Title game behind the amazing backcourt duo of Deron Williams and Dee Brown. But those were Bill Self's guys, and Weber's teams have gotten worse every season. Last year the Illini missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999.. and have little shot of making it this year as well. While Illinois is still the class of the state, SIU continues to the close the gap. The Illini's 2010 class can't get on to campus quickly enough.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - Before last season, SIU had made 6 NCAA Tournaments in a row, including two Sweet Sixteen runs along the way. Even last year, despite the mediocre 11-7 MVC record, the Salukis were better than many think.. as they knocked off Top 40 foes like Mississippi State, Saint Mary's, and Western Kentucky.. all of whom made the Big Dance.

BRADLEY - In 2006, Bradley made a name for itself, shocking many pundits by making the Sweet Sixteen. 2007 was arguably an equally successful regular season (an RPI of 38 vs 33 the previous season), but the Braves ended up in the NIT. Bradley has topped DePaul in the RPI each of the last 3 seasons (also beating them 3 times in a row), and should accomplish that feat again in 2009

DEPAUL - Still trying to find its groove in the Big East, DePaul should most likely finish in the conference's bottom 3 in 08-09. The program has made just 2 NCAA Tourney trips in the last decade, in 2000 & 2004. Fourth year coach Jerry Wainright has some work to do getting DePaul back to that level.

UIC - Veteran coach Jimmy Collins has led UIC to 3 NCAA Tournaments since taking over in 1996. Since their last trip in 2004, the Flames have been mired in mediocrity, going 32-34 in Horizon League games in that period. Another similar middle of the pack finish is expected in 08-09.

6. ILLINOIS STATE - 1998 was the last time the Redbirds made the Big dance, but 07-08 was the best since then. First year Tim Jankovich led his team to a 13-5 MVC record, and an RPI of 34. Illinois State had the 2nd highest RPI of any team that didn't make the Big Dance.. and got screwed by playing the only higher team (Dayton) in the 2nd round of the NIT. Another NIT is possible this season, but the NCAA Tournament will have to wait.

7. NORTHWESTERN - The Wildcats' futility is known to all fans, as the program has yet to reach the NCAA Tournament in its 100+ year existence. The last postseason trip (one of 3 ever) was in 1999, a first round loss in the NIT. From 02-04, BIll Carmody supplied some hope as NU finished with a .500 Big Ten record in '04 for the first time since 1968. But the hope has mostly fizzled out with just 3 wins in their last 34 conference games.

8. LOYOLA - Coming off a down season, Loyola is hoping to repeat the success they had in 06 & 07 when Blake Schilb led the Ramblers to 19 & 21 win seasons. Jim Whitesell's crew should most likely improve on last year's RPI of 222.

9. NORTHERN ILLINOIS - The Huskies are coming off two brutal seasons (just 12 D1 wins combined), and should once again be one of the worst teams in the MAC this season. But every couple years NIU has a decent run: In 2006, they upset DePaul (for the 2nd year in a row), as well as Kansas State, and Ohio. In 2003, they finished 3rd in the MAC and won two conference tourney games

10. CHICAGO STATE - From 2001 to 2003, Chicago State may have been the country's worst program. Now CSU is simply bad, and lacks a conference affiliation since leaving the Summit League after 2006. (2006 was oddly one of CSU's best ever D1 seasons, as they finished on a tear and went to the conference title game). Its hard to expect much from the Cougars any time soon.

11. WESTERN ILLINOIS* - One of the country's usual doormats, WIU is arguably coming off its best season since 1999. Which isn't saying too much considering the Leathernecks won just 10 D1 games and only beat one Top 200 team all season (North Dakota State). There's every reason to expect another 290-300 RPI this year.

12. EASTERN ILLINOIS* - In 2004, EIU went from being a run of the mill sub par program to one of the worst in the country. With an RPI of 337 last year, the Panthers were the 3rd worst full-time D1 team, only edging out UMES and fellow OVC team Jacksonville State.

* WIU and EIU have had very similar success recently, and have even split their meetings in the past 4 years. I give WIU the edge for being in the Summit League, which has outperformed the OVC for the last handful of seasons.

Last: Indiana (Yes, I know I reversed the order of Indiana & Illinois by mistake..) - Next: Iowa

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

2008-09 Illinois State Basketball Preview: #82

Joel Welser — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:51:32 -0400

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Illinois State Redbirds

Overall Rank: #82

Conference Rank: #5 Missouri Valley

2007-08: 25-10, 10-3, 2^nd

2007-08 postseason: NIT

Coach Tim Jankovich led Illinois State to the NIT in his first year at the program. The next step is the NCAA Tournament. However, it might be a little too soon to make that jump. The Redbirds lose four of their top six scorers and, while there is still enough talent coming in to make a run towards the NCAA Tournament, another trip to the NIT is more likely at this point.

Who’s Out:

Can anybody replace the production of Anthony Slack? The forward led the team with 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He also added 9.5 points per contest. Without a consistent scorer and a tenacious defender like Slack on the floor, ISU will look different on both sides of the court. Making matters worse, Levi Dyer was an underappreciated big man who could make a big impact off the bench. The backcourt lost starters Dom Johnson and Boo Richardson. The duo combined to average 15.1 points and 7.0 assists. Little used Julius Moor is also departing from the perimeter, but the departure of Johnson and Richardson creates a lot of questions in the backcourt.

Who’s In:

Despite all those losses, the excitement around Redbird basketball is still high…and for good reason. Coach Jankovich has a talented group of newcomers coming in who are ready to work their way into the regular rotation. The most important position is at point guard where newcomers Lloyd Phillips, Landon Shipley and Kenyon Smith hope to fill the void. Phillips, a transfer from Iowa Western Community College, is a great shooter and has enough experience to step into a starting role. Shipley spent two years at Austin Peay before heading to Normal. He only earned a couple starts during his time with APSU, but he is a decent scorer and ball handler. Smith, an incoming freshman, has plenty of potential, but his lack of experience will likely give others the first shot at the point guard duties. During the 2005-2006 campaign Champ Oguchi had a great year with the Ducks of Oregon. The following year his production dropped and he opted to transfer to ISU. Oguchi, while inconsistent, is a great shooter and will give the Redbirds a very dangerous shooting and slashing threat from the wing. Bobby Hill is another experienced newcomer who could step into a starting role. The 6-7 junior might not put up huge numbers, but he is a solid defender and could help replace part of Slack’s production. Kellen Thornton, Ty Modupe and Jeremy Robinson will add some much, much needed depth up front. Snagging Robinson from the SEC or a Big Ten school is a great get for Illinois State. The 6-8 center has a nice looking stroke from mid-range and is developing some decent post moves. Blake Mishler, a transfer from East Tennessee State will be eligible in December, but it is likely he will redshirt the entire season.

Who to Watch:

There is no doubt who the star of this team will be this year. Osiris Eldridge not only has a cool name and a not so cool haircut, but he also led the team with 15.8 points per game. He can shoot the three-pointer or get to the basket and this year he will need to be a team leader if the Redbirds expect to make a run at the post season. Emmanuel Holloway and Alex Rubin will add more depth to the backcourt and compete with the newcomers for minutes running the point.

Final Projection:

The backcourt, even with the questions regarding the point, will be fine. The problem is the frontcourt. Dinma Odiakosa had a solid sophomore season, but now he has to step up and be the scoring threat under the basket. Brandon Sampay will be in the frontcourt mix once he recovers from offseason surgery. While Sampay is out, the newcomers will get some valuable experience, but the lack of experience and depth up front will be a concern all year long.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Lloyd Phillips, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Osiris Eldridge, Junior, Guard, 15.8 points per game

Champ Oguchi, Senior, Guard, DNP last season

Bobby Hill, Junior, Forward , DNP last season

Dinma Odiakosa, Junior, Forward, 6.9 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Illinois State's Sampay Undergoes Surgery

Press Release — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:53:18 -0400

NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State senior forward Brandon Sampay underwent surgery Monday to repair a congenital condition in his left hip, and as a result, will be sidelined for four-to-five months. Sampay's surgery went well, and he has already begun the rehabilitation process.

"We feel very badly for Brandon, as he finished last season so strongly and has had a tremendous attitude, work ethic and desire to have a great senior season," said head basketball coach Tim Jankovich. "This will definitely set him back, but we're hopeful and optimistic that he will have a full recovery and still be able to maintain the momentum that he was enjoying."

Sampay averaged 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season, while seeing action in 31 contests. In addition to losing the 6-foot-8 Sampay for the early part of the season, the Redbirds' Bobby Hill, another forward, is currently rehabbing following his knee surgery.

"Obviously this surgery, along with Bobby's ACL surgery, is a big blow and setback to our team, particularly in the early part of the season," said Jankovich. "We will have many more challenges than normal because of this, and yet, I'm still optimistic that in the long run, we could become an outstanding team."