We’ve all been there. The phone rings and the number is unfamiliar. “Do I answer or let it go to voice mail?” we ask ourselves.
Awaiting a flight to Bloomington to accept the Illinois State men’s basketball head coaching position, Ryan Pedon took a chance.
“I answered, and he said, ‘Coach, this is Doug Collins,’” Pedon said. “I was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m talking to Doug Collins right now.’ That was my first thought. My second thought was I couldn’t believe how much Illinois State means to him.”
That 2022 conversation was the beginning of a close bond that has seen Collins, ISU’s former All-American guard and a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, become a mentor and confidante for Pedon.
“He’s there for me as a former player, he’s there for me as a former coach, and he’s there as a family member,” Pedon said. “I have felt those three things regardless of outcome since the moment I got here.
“I’ve said this before and I say it with pride, outside of my father and my immediate family, I don’t know if there’s a male who has meant more to me in life than Doug Collins. It’s been truly awesome.”
For Pedon, the family aspect extends beyond Doug Collins, whose name is on the Redbirds’ home court at CEFCU Arena. While the fourth-year ISU coach calls Collins “a father figure to me in a lot of ways,” he says this of Collins’ son, Chris, head coach at Northwestern:
“Chris has been like an older brother to me,” Pedon said. “I've always admired him. The fact I’ve been able to get closer with him since I got this job and through Doug, it’s something I value a lot.”
When Pedon’s Redbirds meet Chris Collins’ Wildcats on Oct. 29 at Evanston, it will be more than a garden variety exhibition game. It will be two good friends seeking to learn about their teams and a proud father/father figure loving every minute.
“I think it’s great that they’re going to do this,” Doug Collins said. “This year up at Northwestern and next year down at Horton Field House if everything works out at Horton. It should be fun.”
Chris Collins has agreed to bring the Wildcats to Normal next season for an exhibition. In each of Pedon’s first two seasons, the Redbirds played one home game at Horton Field House, the building in which Doug Collins starred.
For Northwestern to play there would be special, Chris Collins said.
“Ryan called me and said, ‘What would be your thoughts about bringing your team down here to play where your dad played?” he said. “Obviously, I’m like, ‘That would be amazing.’ We couldn’t come this year because we already had a road (exhibition) game at Iowa State. I just said, ‘How about you guys come to us this year and then I’ll bring my team down there next year?’
“It’s a little two-year deal and it’s great. You throw in how I feel about Bloomington-Normal and my family, to be able to bring my team and kind of celebrate my dad and potentially play in Horton Field House, that would be an amazing thing for us to be able to do.”
Horton was ISU’s home court when Doug Collins played from 1970-73. He scored 2,240 points and averaged 29.1 per game, both school records.
The former NBA all-star and head coach attended the first Return to Horton game in December 2022, a 77-71 victory over Southern Illinois Edwardsville before a raucous crowd.
“It was an amazing game,” Collins said. “It came down to one of our big kids blocks a shot and we win. I told the guys after the game, ‘Now you get a chance to see the environment I played in here every single game.’ I hope they play at Horton.”
The second Return to Horton contest was a 64-58 loss to Norfolk State in December 2023. The game was marred by an alleged racial slur a Norfolk State player said he heard from fans. ISU later said it could not prove what was said.
Playing at Horton presents logistical challenges. A court is stored at Horton that can be used, but the baskets and supports must be moved from CEFCU Arena. There are other adjustments and accommodations needed as well.
Pedon said playing there “honors our past.”
“What I was able to see in those couple of years was how much it meant to so many people to be there,” he said. “People were telling me stories of how they sat in the same seats. People were coming from out of town, flying in to be a part of the nostalgia. I don’t ever want to lose that.
“I think one of the greatest things about college are the memories that are created in these buildings, with the people who you’re with. I want to do everything in my power to honor that.”
‘Like a second home’
Chris Collins spent his early years out East while Doug Collins was playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. But in the summers, he came to Bloomington-Normal with his father.
“Milt Weisbecker, who was the athletic director when my dad was there (at ISU), was like my grandfather. He was like a father to my dad,” Chris said. “ Some of my greatest memories are going over to Bloomington Country Club and playing golf with Milt and my dad and hanging out and going over and being around ISU and meeting all the people in Bloomington-Normal.
“To me, it’s like a second home, that area. I’ve always followed ISU, I’ve always cheered for ISU. That’s always been a big part of our family, Redbird basketball.”
Chris Collins starred at Glenbrook North High School, earning Illinois’ Mr. Basketball award. He went on to play at Duke and was an assistant coach there for 13 years before taking the Northwestern head coaching job in 2013.
He said Illinois State “was my college team” growing up because his father and mother, Kathy, are ISU graduates.
“That’s where they met and obviously with the success my dad had, he owes so much of his career to his time there,” he said.
Learning process
Both teams figure to benefit from the Oct. 29 exhibition game. ISU returns much of its team after going 22-14 last season. The Redbirds are the preseason favorites to win the Missouri Valley Conference and seek ISU’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 1998.
“I think Ryan is trying to get a handle on his team as quickly as possible,” Doug Collins said. “Sometimes when you have a lot of guys returning, you just assume that’s going to be my team. You find there are guys whose games have grown and guys who are about the same and guys who are looking to take bigger roles.
“I’m proud of Ryan. This is year four and this is our year to make it happen.”
The Redbirds lost 92-65 Sunday at Illinois in an exhibition, but played without their top two players, Chase Walker and Johnny Kinziger, because of minor injuries.
Northwestern was 17-16 last year and is 194-190 in 12 seasons under Chris Collins. He has guided the Wildcats to the first three NCAA Tournament berths in their history.
This year’s team has eight new players.
“I think it’s going to be very beneficial for our team,” Chris Collins said. “I think they have a great chance to be an NCAA Tournament team and win the Valley and a lot of good, veteran players. It just felt like a great opportunity.”
Regular-season game?
Would Chris Collins and Pedon be interested in playing a regular-season game? For now, they are embracing the exhibition games.
“My dad loves Illinois State so much and obviously he loves me,” Chris Collins said. “So emotionally, a regular-season game puts a lot on him. I saw that my first year here. I inherited a game to play Illinois State (ISU won, 68-64) and that was really hard on our family emotionally.
“We just felt like this was a great first step. We’ll see what happens down the line.”
Pedon agreed, saying, “If that (a regular-season game) is something that would tear at Doug or Chris, I wouldn’t want to force the issue. The fact we could do this, even in the preseason, I think is pretty special. I’m very content with this.”
Crowd support
Doug Collins is urging fans to show up in good numbers for ISU home games this season. He considers the Redbirds a talented, veteran team that should set a goal of going undefeated at CEFCU Arena.
“I want our fans from the first game we play to be there and cheer for our guys,” he said. “I want our guys to get ready to play the game and look up and see people ready to cheer for them.
“That’s one thing that motivated me when I played. When I ran up that ramp at Horton and ran out on that court, when I saw people up there I said, ‘I’m going to give them something to cheer about tonight. They’re going to be happy they’re here.’ That was always my goal.”
