Building Team Culture in Coaching

In this week's basketball coaching conversation, Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon shares insights on his all in culture philosophy.

Since his hiring in 2022, Pedon has steadily improved the program, culminating in a significant 22-14 record and a CBI Championship title in the 2024-25 season, marking a notable step forward for Illinois State basketball.. 

In his first season as head coach of the Redbirds, ISU finished the season 11-21 while setting a new program record for free throw percentage with .793 (was .775 from the 2001-02 season). 

His second season saw a four-win improvement, and the team had its highest assist-to-turnover ratio for the season since the 2016-17 season, and freshman Johnny Kinziger earned a spot on the All-Freshman and All-Bench teams during the year.

Before taking the helm at Illinois State, Pedon built a strong foundation as an assistant coach at several institutions, including Miami (OH) from 2005 to 2010, Butler University from 2010 to 2013, Providence College from 2013 to 2017, and most recently at Ohio State University from 2017 to 2022. 

His extensive coaching background—spanning multiple conferences and styles of play—has shaped his approach to modern player development and competitive team strategy.