McLean County Times

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State Basketball Coaches Show will air live tonight at Avanti's on Main St in Normal. Presented by The O'Brien Auto Team, the show will feature Illinois State men's basketball assistant coach Jason Slay and women's basketball head coach Kristen Gillespie.

Fans who cannot attend the event can listen to it on WJBC 1230 AM, the Varsity Network, and GoRedbirds.com. Avanti's is offering a 20% discount for students with their Illinois State ID on Monday night.

The segment featuring head women's basketball coach Kristen Gillespie, hosted by Greg Halbleib, begins at 6 p.m. She will be joined by sophomore forward Nevaeh Thomas, who averages 13.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. Thomas leads the team with seven double-doubles this season.

The Redbirds recently secured a 74-58 victory over Bradley, marking Gillespie's 250th career win. Graduate guard Elyce Knudsen led the team with 20 points and surpassed 2,500 career points in college basketball. The Redbirds will conclude a four-game homestand this week against Southern Illinois on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Missouri State on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Assistant coach Jason Slay will take over for head men's basketball coach Ryan Pedon starting at 6:45 p.m., with hosts John Fitzgerald and Mike Matthews. He will be joined by graduate guard Malachi Poindexter, who is averaging 7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game this season.

Illinois State is set to play two games inside CEFCU Arena this week against Belmont on Wednesday at 8 p.m. and Valparaiso on Saturday at 4 p.m. Former Redbird Doug Collins, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 2024, will be honored during Saturday's game against Valparaiso.

Fans are welcome to watch Monday's show live at Avanti's or listen via WJBC 1230 AM, the Varsity Network, or the Illinois State Athletics Facebook page.

The coaches show occurs weekly with some exceptions due to game schedules:

- Feb. 3 – Rob Dob's

- Feb. 10 – Avanti's

- Feb. 17 – Rob Dob's

- Mar. 3 – Avanti's

- Mar. 10 – Rob Dob's

For more information about tickets and other updates, visit GoRedbirds.com or use the Illinois State Redbirds App.