Running head: HISTORY OF BASKETBALL AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

The Long Term History of The Illinois State University Men's Basketball Program and
The Recent Trend of National Exposure
Austin R. Guthrie
Illinois State University

Author's note
Austin R. Guthrie, Illinois State University
Contact: aguthri@ilstu.edu

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

Abstract
The Illinois State University Men's Basketball Program started in 1898 by a few pioneers to the
game and little did they know how great they would be and how much spotlight they would
create (GoRedbirds.com 2016). In the 1970-71 off-season, the program had a trio of events that
changed the course of history, going into Division I, bringing in Will Robinson and getting Doug
Collins on the varsity team. In 1977, the program broke the scene and gained national
recognition in receiving the programs first tournament invite, an invitation to the National
Invitational Tournament. The program went on to be invited to three more National Invitational
Tournaments in the next four years (Sports-reference). Since then, higher expectations have been
held and the program has been in national competition on a regular basis. In the last five years,
the program has beat a top 25 ranked team every year, and played a number of other ranked
opponents and every one of those games were given national spotlight. In addition, the program
has had four players drafted into the National Basketball Association, better known as the NBA.

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

The Long Term History of The Illinois State University Men's Basketball Program and
The Recent Trend of National Exposure
The Illinois State University Athletic's Program garnered a new team in the year 1898,
that was the start of The Illinois State University Men's Basketball Program (GoRedbirds.com
2016). The program started off unknown and quiet on the national stage, as it was not until the
1970s that the team got much national spotlight, and it came with a trio of events, going into
Division I, signing of Will Robinson and the varsity playing of Doug Collins. In the year 1977,
the program got invited to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and this was a year that
started the tradition of excellence. Since 1977, Illinois States Basketball Program has been
invited to 20 national tournaments including: six NCAA Mens Division I Basketball
Tournaments, 13 National Invitational Tournament and a single 2014 College Basketball
Invitational (GoRedbirds.com 2016). The program has beat a number of top 25 ranked teams,
including a win over a top 25 team in each of the last five seasons. The program has also seen
four players drafted into the National Basketball Association, also known as the NBA. The
Illinois State University Men's Basketball Program started slowly, but they are now frequently on
the national stage due to tournament invites, playing and beating top 25 ranked teams and players
being drafted into the NBA.
The Illinois State University Men's Basketball Program was formed in 1898, a year after
the Women's Basketball Program was created (GoRedbirds.com 2016). The team had very little
information about them, but it was the start of something, at the time. The next important year

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

was the one that we can look back at and say, This is the year it all changed, the history books
will start here. The program's rich history starts in the 1970-71 offseason, not because the
program had never been successful, they had multiple conference championships prior, but
because in that offseason three significant events happened. First, this year was huge in making
the switch to Division I College Basketball. As Jim Benson, the program's Pantagraph writer,
says, this was the year the program first became in competition with the Duke's, North Carolina's
and UCLA's of the world (Jim Benson, personal communication, February, 2016). This was
important because it put the program on the map and the ability to get national attention. The
second event that happened this year was Doug Collins becoming a member of the program's
varsity basketball team. Collins, an all-state high school basketball player, had a breakout year
his freshman year, while playing on the freshman team, and had been moved up to varsity for the
following year. That breakout year led to a four year career of nothing but breakout years. Doug
Collins was the greatest player to ever come through the program, setting a handful of records
that still stand today including: total overall points, points per game, field goals and fourth in free
throws made (GoRedbirds.com 2015). All those stats add up to Collins being a mighty fine
player and someone that brought national spotlight to the program. The third and last event that
occurred in this year, was the hiring of Head Coach Will Robinson, a well-known Michigan high
school coach, who became the first ever African-American Division I coach. Robinsons signing
came with grief at first as some teams avoided playing the program because of that. He did not
let it bother him as he continued to coach for five years, forming a special bond with the star,
Collins. As quoted by Dr. Sheahon Zenger, the old Illinois State University Director of Athletics,
in Will Robinson's YouTube memorial, Will Robinson is part of the lore and the history of
Illinois State Athletics and Illinois State University. Will Robinson helped put us on the map.

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

Those two, Collins and Robinson, who are celebrated together in a statute outside of Redbird
Arena and Doug Collins Court, gave reason to believe in the future, and more importantly they
brought national attention to a program that lacked it up until then.
The next national spotlight that the Illinois State University's Basketball Program
appeared in was the national tournament invites. In the year 1977, The Illinois State Basketball
Program got invited to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), their first ever national
tournament invite, and that year set the road for the expectations that lied ahead (Sportsreference). The program went on to get invited to three NITs in four years from 1977-80. The
late 1970s were the start of the tournament era in Illinois State Basketball Program history,
reaching national tournaments in 20 of the next 38 seasons. The program that had been known
for the one coach-player duo, despite having loads of talent in Randy Bubbles Hawkins and
Jeff Wilkins, soon became the program of constant tournaments.
The next push into the tournament phase came in 1983, when the program received its
first invite to the NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament, what is commonly known as
March madness now. The NIT is the second tier tournament, the March Madness tournament is
the first tier, so this was an enormous event. They lost in the first round to the University of Ohio
51-49, which put pressure on the team to perform the following year. The following year did not
disappoint; the program earned its second straight March Madness ticket and won the first round
game 49-48 against Alabama before losing to number one seeded University of DePaul. They
followed that up with another second round exit in 1985, beating Southern California and losing
to Oklahoma. After getting three straight bids to March Madness, the program trailed off slightly
getting invited to two NIT and a first round March Madness over the next nine years from 19851994.

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

In the year 1994, Dan Muller, a great player and now great coach and Illinois State
legend, got recruited and the team got invited to another NIT. The following year, Muller got
some help by an incredibly talented player in Rico Hill and the two of them led the team to an
invitation to the NIT. The year after, 1996, the same duo led the team to a March Madness bid
and a first round loss to Iowa State. In Mullers senior season, he and Hill led the team to a first
round March Madness victory, marking the last time the program has been to that tournament. In
the year 2000, Tarise Bryson, led the team to an NIT invite in dominate fashion. Bryson won
conference player of the year and finished fourth in points per game in all of College Basketball.
Bryson came back the following year, a year in which a few experts predicted a March Madness
run, and was injured in the first game and did not play another game that season or in his career.
From then, 2001, until now, 2016, the program has seen tons of talented players: Osiris Eldridge,
Jackie Carmichael, Tyler Brown and Daishon Knight among others. The program has seen five
NIT invites and a CBI, a third tier tournament, in those years, and came within a squandered 18
point first half lead in last years Conference championship, from receiving another March
Madness bid.
The next bit of national attention has come more recently, the playing and beating, or
upsetting, of top 25 ranked teams. Playing in games against ranked teams brings huge national
spotlight as that normally comes with national television and recognition. The first major upset
that really got people to notice the program, according to Benson, was beating number four
ranked UNLV on Feb. 3, 1977 (Jim Benson, personal communication, February, 2016). The
program recently has done a great job of scheduling games against elite teams and performing
well in those games, winning a handful and also being very competitive a number of them as
well. The last five years have all included a top 25 take down, starting in the 2011-12 season

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

when the team played against five ranked teams and won against number 15 Wichita State. Then
in the following season, 2012-13, the team played against three ranked teams, beating number 16
Creighton. In the 2013-14 season the team played four ranked teams, winning one against
number 25 ranked Dayton Flyers. Last year, 2014-15, the team played six ranked games, beating
Wichita State in the Conference Tournament. Then this year, 2015-16, the team has played three
ranked games, losing to number two Maryland and number one Kentucky in the same week and
then beating number 21 Wichita State, for the second straight time. The program has five ranked
wins in the last five years, while giving many more ranked opponents a close game, all while
being on national television.
The last bit of national attention came in the form of players being drafted into the
National Basketball Association, or commonly known as the NBA. The four players that were
drafted into the NBA: Doug Collins, Robert Bubbles Hawkins, Jeff Wilkins and Rico Hill.
Doug Collins was the first pick overall in 1973, played in the 1972 Olympics and had a very
successful playing career for the Philadelphia 76ers and then coaching and broadcasting.
Bubbles was drafted in the third round of the 1975 draft and played for four different teams. Jeff
Wilkins was drafted in the second round of the 1977 draft by the San Antonio Spurs, but played
most of his career, seven seasons, as a member of the Utah Jazz. Lastly, Rico Hill was drafted in
the second round of the 1999 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, although he never played in the
NBA, he is still currently playing for the Chicago Stream of the American Basketball
Association, a semi-pro basketball league. These four players being drafted into the NBA
brought a large amount of national attention to The Illinois State Mens Basketball Program.
In conclusion, The Illinois State University Mens Basketball Program has gained
significant national attention in the way the history started, the number of tournaments, games

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

against ranked teams and players getting drafted to the NBA. The national spotlight is something
that the program is not unfamiliar with, and it may be put back onto them in the middle of March
if this year's team can play like the program's previous legends.

HISTORY OF BASKETBALL AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

References
Illinois State. (2016). Retrieved February 25, 2016, from
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/illinois-state/
[GoRedbirds.com]. (2009). ISURedbirds: Will Robinson Tribute. [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JSuFPVdTcM
GoRedbirds.com. (2016). 2015-16 Illinois State Men's Basketball Quick Facts. Retrieved from
http://goredbirds.com/documents/2014/8/7/2014_15_Illinois_State_Mens_Basketball_Quick
_Facts.pdf
GoRedbirds.com. (2015). Mbb Career Records. Retrieved from
http://goredbirds.com/documents/2014/5/2/mbb_career_records.pdf