McLean County Times

Illinois State University is hosting its Basketball Coaches Show tonight at Avanti's in Normal. The event, sponsored by The O'Brien Auto Team, will feature men's basketball coach Ryan Pedon and women's basketball coach Kristen Gillespie.

During the show, Avanti's will offer a 20% discount to Illinois State students with ID. The Redbird men's team is also expected to appear at the venue. Those unable to attend can tune in on WJBC 1230 AM, the Varsity Network, or GoRedbirds.com.

The segment featuring women's coach Kristen Gillespie begins at 6 p.m., hosted by Greg Halbleib. Joining her is Grace Nelson, an ISU freshman guard from Altamont, Illinois. Nelson will sit out this season due to injury but was a notable player last year in high school.

The women's team holds a 14-9 record after two losses on their Iowa road trip against Drake and Northern Iowa. Nevaeh Thomas led with 13 points against Northern Iowa, while Addison Martin had ten rebounds. In their game against Drake, Martin scored 20 points and Maya Wong added 17 points.

Men's coach Ryan Pedon's segment follows at 6:45 p.m., hosted by John Fitzgerald and Mike Matthews. He will be joined by Ty Pence, a sophomore guard from Saint Joseph who has been consistent throughout the season.

The men's team has a record of 15-10 after splitting games this week against UIC and Northern Iowa. Chase Walker scored a career-high of 31 points against UIC.

Fans can attend the show live at Avanti's or listen via various platforms including WJBC 1230 AM and the Illinois State Athletics Facebook page.

Future shows are scheduled for February 17 at Rob Dob's in Bloomington and March events alternating between Rob Dob's and Avanti's.

GoRedbirds.com provides more information about tickets, merchandise, and other athletics-related content for Illinois State University.