// This is a machine generated transcript. Please report any transcription errors to will-help@illinois.edu.

[00:00:00]
Steve Morck: It's the 21st Show. I'm Steve Morck, in for Brian Mackey. Throughout the hour, we've been talking about the Illinois men's basketball team making it to the Final Four of the NCAA March Madness tournament. Tomorrow they play UConn, and whoever wins faces off against either Michigan or Arizona in the finals. 

But the Fighting Illini aren't the only team celebrating tournament success. Both of Illinois State University's men's and women's basketball teams made it to the NIT and WNIT tournaments, respectively. The NIT stands for National Invitation Tournament, and as the name suggests, schools are invited to compete, as was the case for the Redbirds. And both teams have proven to be quite successful. The men made their first appearance since 2017 but lost last night to Auburn. Meanwhile, the women are making their second consecutive appearance and will be facing off against the Marshall University Thundering Herd in the championship. 

Joining us now to talk about the Redbirds is Nicholas Thompson, news and sports intern for 103.3 WZND in Bloomington-Normal. Nicholas, welcome to the 21st Show.

[00:01:41]
Nicholas Thompson: Thank you for having me.

[00:01:43]
Steve Morck: And you can join the conversation by giving us a call at 800-222-9455. That's 800-222-9455. How are you cheering on the Redbirds? What do you think of their performance these past few years? So Nicholas, tell me about the men's team first as we start to look back at their season. What do you think?

[00:01:59]
Nicholas Thompson: Yeah, so we're starting with the men's team. You know, the team came in as Missouri Valley Conference, you know, favorites, and they didn't pan out. We finished with the third seed. However, we lost to Northern Iowa in the tournament round one, and when we lost that game, it was like, OK, what's next for the team? You know, you're preseason favorites, but it didn't work out. But then coming after that, a week later, it's announced that we will play in the NIT tournament. And then in every game we played — Kent State, Wake Forest, Dayton, and then to Auburn last night — each game we were underdogs in every game and we made it that far. 

So I think the team feels they should be happier where they're at right now, men's team, even though, you know, the season didn't go as planned. You still made a deep run in the NIT tournament, which is still great exposure for the university.

[00:02:21]
Steve Morck: And what changed for the Redbirds from that loss in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament to now?

[00:02:28]
Nicholas Thompson: I think what changed was that, you know, you get a chance to play basketball once again. And you know, when you're playing conference teams since like the end of December all the way to the end of the year in February, you're able to play teams that you haven't played, you know, yet before that really don't know you. So I think playing teams like one time a year that you've never seen before, instead of playing teams you see, you know, twice a year — I feel like that makes the team like, you know, it gives them like, OK, the opponent don't know us, we don't know them, so it's just a freelance game. You just go out there, you play and the best team wins. So I feel like that's what's been happening.

[00:02:58]
Steve Morck: And how about the women? Now they're playing for a championship. How is it looking back at their season?

[00:03:04]
Nicholas Thompson: Their season has been really, really, really, really good, too. Just to start off, the women's team is 16-1 at home. The only loss they lost was to Murray State, the team that went on to win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, and that team has been really, really well. The fans always show up to support them. 

Dani Washington has been really, really well all season. She's Missouri Valley Conference Most Improved Player. Tristan [Fada] has been really good as a sophomore point guard. She broke the record for a season assists last year with 204. And just looking back at that women's team this year, I feel like the impact that our freshmen had has made us the team that we are, you know. Kaya Hurt has been really good off the bench. Jayden Pratt, Grace Nelson — it's a team effort. It's not like one player, it's a team when it comes to a women's basketball team.

[00:03:43]
Steve Morck: And 16-1 at home throughout the season. So what was it like seeing a crowded Redbird Arena?

[00:03:51]
Nicholas Thompson: It was incredible, you know. Every game the fans show up and support, and Coach Gillespie always speaks on how much that impact makes on the team. So we were able to host every WNIT game up until the last game against South Dakota, and now we have to play on the road against Marshall. But every, every, every other game we were able to host, and it's been incredible, you know. The players feed off their energy. 16-1 at home is an insane, you know, insane thing to do, and the only team you lost to is the best team that wins the conference tournament. I feel like you have to be really, really proud about that.

[00:04:20]
Steve Morck: And this is the men's first NIT appearance since 2017. What can this appearance in the NIT do for the future?

[00:04:29]
Nicholas Thompson: I think it's really good for the future. Number one, I feel like it lets players that want to come here know that ISU cares about athletics because, you know, you don't have to participate in an NIT tournament, but they chose to for a reason. And I feel like it worked out really well even though you didn't get the outcome you wanted. You lost to a team that, you know, [M toha, should be in the] NCAA tournament, so you lost to that team. So you have to be proud of the season. You have to look at that as growth. And I feel like if you're a player that wants to come to ISU, you look at that and say, hey, this team cares about athletics. You can win there. You have opportunity to play there.

[00:04:58]
Steve Morck: And you mentioned some of the standouts from the women's program. Who are some of the standouts from the men?

[00:05:05]
Nicholas Thompson: Yeah, you know, Chase Walker — he was a standout last year, standout this year. But Tariq Coleman, he's one of our freshmen. He had a really, really good year. I'm an Illinois native. He played at Aurora High School, had a really good year. And you have a bunch of guys like Todd Pence had a really good year, [Bden Scumberg]. The team is like Chase Walker is our best player, but we have many little factors like Tariq Coleman as a freshman, Mason [Clayb], another freshman. Landon Moore was really good for us, Landon Wolf. It's like it's not like a one-player thing; it's a bunch of standouts with that team.

[00:05:32]
Steve Morck: Where did the — how did the two coaches construct the rosters, these two rosters? There's a lot of high school kids and some transfers coming in. How did they construct these two rosters?

[00:05:43]
Nicholas Thompson: Well, I know for women, our women's team, we recruited a bunch of players, you know, straight out of high school. The same thing with the men's too, but the one thing that — look at the men's roster — the one thing that Coach [Pen] always says is that you win with people. So we try to find, you know, good people to win with. But we have a bunch of, like, players that are from Illinois on our women's team. I mean on our men's team, I'm sorry. Johnny — not Johnny, but I can't think of his name right now — Tariq Coleman was on our, he's from Illinois. So we recruit like Illinois guys. We have another Illinois [um Jordan Williams] coming in next year. So I feel like we recruit in-state and we recruit good people. That's the one thing that we always say is that you win with people.

[00:06:23]
Steve Morck: In this era of college basketball, the transfer portal tends to give and take for mid-major teams like Brendan Lee transferred the university from the University of Illinois to ISU. Do you think ISU will end up losing some of their younger talent this offseason?

[00:06:37]
Nicholas Thompson: That's a really, really good question. I, as a, you know, as a student, as somebody that supports the team, I hope not. But you never know what happens. But I feel like a run like this, making it to the NIT tournament, it shows players, hey, they care about winning. You could win there. And I say that's the one thing, like you said with the transfer portal, if you — ISU athletics, the coach staff — you have to do everything in your power it is to keep these young players because the one reason why I feel like we're in a good position now is that we retained all our players from last year coming this year. So I feel like it's really, really important to keep your players. So I hope we don't lose any players, to answer your question.

[00:07:09]
Steve Morck: And the Missouri Valley is a pretty good basketball conference. I mean, it's the original — Arch Madness is what their tournament is called, I believe. It's played in St. Louis. And you're a senior, so how have you seen these basketball programs shift during your time at Illinois State?

[00:07:24]
Nicholas Thompson: Yeah, so going to the men's team, when I first started, it was Coach P in his first year as well, and each year with Coach P and the team has got better and better. So his freshman year, which is my freshman year, we won 11 games. Then my sophomore year, his sophomore year coaching, we won 15 games to 22 games last year to now 23 games this year. It's like each and each year we get better and better, and I feel like that's what you want in college athletics — each year to get better and better. 

We won a CBI championship last year and then this year we're in the NIT. We lost last night, but it's like the growth each and each year. And the women's team, since I've been here, the women's team has always been a steady team. We always get about 20-plus wins a year. That team is always consistent no matter what. Even if you lose players, you get players back. That team always is always consistent for the women's team.

[00:08:08]
Steve Morck: And ISU athletics this year has had a pretty good season, not just in men's and women's basketball, but also the football team. Can you talk about that a little bit?

[00:08:17]
Nicholas Thompson: Yes, the football team, it was incredible too. I was able to have the opportunity to go out there in Nashville and cover it, cover home games. They made it in the [same run], and like you said, I believe I've seen some on Twitter the other day that ISU is the only D1 school to have a postseason play with the football team make the national championship game, the women's and the men's both playing in the tournament. So I just feel like the overall growth of ISU athletics is really, really good. And as a student and a reporter for the, you know, the school, I think we have the best mid-major athletics in any mid-major school.

[00:08:48]
Steve Morck: And we do have a caller, it looks like on line one. Dominic, speaking of basketball and football teams playing the SEC — what's your question, Dominic?

[00:08:59]
Dominic: Hi. Yeah, for Nicholas, I guess basically building off what you just said, I wanted to know how the team's playing so well affects the athletics program going forward.

[00:09:11]
Nicholas Thompson: Yes, thank you. That's a really, really good question. I think the team's playing so well — I just feel like it gets you the exposure. So when you're a mid-major team like Illinois State and you're playing 40 minutes away from a team like, you know, U of I, you have to — obviously you compete with them, but when you have players that are, you know, so young and that want to win, you have players that play well. I feel like just playing and putting these players on a big stage is the most important thing. 

So when you have your football team go all the way to the national championship game, that's big exposure — playing on ESPN. You know, you're playing these tournament games, that's big exposure. Just playing away from the university and road games gives ISU a chance to, you know, build our athletic department and get us better and better to be able to compete with those high-level schools like Illinois.

[00:09:55]
Steve Morck: And where do you see the rest of the athletics program going — maybe not just basketball or football? How does playing those teams affect the rest of the athletic program?

[00:10:05]
Nicholas Thompson: I think it's really good. I feel like, like I mentioned earlier, just exposure when you play those big schools, you know, it's really good. Last week our baseball team on a nine-game winning streak — we snapped that to Iowa, who's a really good, you know, baseball team. So I just feel like just keep playing, your exposure and, you know — I feel like the most important thing is you're not going to get the five-star and the four-star recruits, but if you can get those three-star recruits and hit the transfer portal and get players like that, you can keep building your establishment and building your program to get better and better. So, you know, like it's highly unlikely, like I said, we'll get the five-star to four-star recruit, but get those three-star recruits in-state and I feel like you're going to be really, really OK and you'll be proud of your athletic team overall.

[00:10:42]
Steve Morck: So you said the men's team made the CBI last year, the NIT this year. Is next year's goal the NCAA tournament?

[00:10:50]
Nicholas Thompson: You know, it has to be. And coming into off the CBI championship last year, the goal was to be in the NCAA tournament. You know, things happen. You have injuries, you know, and things happen. But I feel like each and each year the team gets better and better. So the next step obviously is you want the NCAA tournament, and I think we can do it if we can retain our players, you know, have some freshmen come in and make impact like we had this year and recruit players in the transfer portal. I think we could make that NCAA tournament.

[00:11:17]
Steve Morck: And what is your opinion on U of I athletics taking away some attention maybe from smaller sports programs that are succeeding like ISU or other schools?

[00:11:28]
Nicholas Thompson: You know, I really don't have an opinion on it. They're doing what's best for their university, and here in Illinois State, we have to do what's best for our university. But like I just feel like as a reporter for the school and a student, the fact that we're still, you know, like 40 minutes away from there and we're able to compete and keep up with them, who has way more [fun] than us, I feel like that's a really, really good thing for our athletics.

[00:11:48]
Steve Morck: And so the women are playing their championship game. What's your prediction for it?

[00:11:54]
Nicholas Thompson: I have a Redbirds win. I think it's going to be a close game. Marshall is a really, really good team. I feel like we're going to keep it close. I feel like give me a Redbirds win 65-60. Our best player has been [Anila Washington] all season long, so we have to feed her the ball in the post. We've got to let Tricia [Fta], you know, facilitate. If, you know, [Oddison Martin] and some other players can knock down a couple of shots, I feel like we could be really, really good. The one thing about the women's team is that our defense is really, really well, and I don't think many teams besides Murray State, who was the best team in our conference this year — I don't think many teams can outscore us. So long as we play good defensively, I think that team will always be in every game and have a chance to win every game.

[00:12:31]
Steve Morck: Nicholas Thompson, sports intern for WZND in Bloomington-Normal — thanks for joining us today.

[00:12:38]
Nicholas Thompson: Thank you for having me.

[00:13:15]
Steve Morck: That's it for us today and this week. Before we go, I want to invite you to join our texting group. You put the public in public radio, and we love sharing your comments and questions on the show like we did today. Join by sending the word "talk" to 217-803-0730. Again, text the word "talk" to 217-803-0730. We appreciate hearing from you about our programs and your suggestions for future guests or stories. Email us at talk@21stshow.org. That's talk@21stshow.org. 

You can find that address and every other way to contact us, including our voicemail line, on our website at 21stshow.org. We've got all our past shows there, and you can find links to subscribe to our podcast or look us up on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen. And you can just search the Illinois Public Media page. 

The 21st Show is produced by Christine Hatfield and Jose Zepeda. Our digital producer is Kulsoom Kahn. Technical direction and engineering comes from Jason Croft. Reginald Hardwick is our news director. And thanks to the band Public Access for our theme music. The 21st Show is a production of Illinois Public Media. I'm Steve Morck, in for Brian Mackey. Thanks for listening. We'll talk to you again next week.