For Bloomington native Colton Sandage, returning to his hometown for his final year of eligibility seemed like a no-brainer.
So when Illinois State men’s basketball coach Ryan Pedon gave the 6’2” guard a scholarship offer he was quick to accept the opportunity. At his third school for his fifth year of action, Sandage looked up to former ISU players during his younger days.
“When I was growing up Redbird Arena used to be packed on a nightly basis and to me, that was always something I wanted to be a part of,” Sandage said. “Being a little kid, I always looked up to the ISU players. I thought that it would be awesome to come back here for my last year and do it myself.”
Sandage represents a group that could find Redbird Arena –newly named the Cefcu Arena- once again packed on a nightly basis. Former Ohio State Assistant Coach Ryan Pedon took over the reins as head coach in the offseason bringing a new sense of hope to ISU fans after several back-to-back down seasons.
Colton Sandage | Illinois State men’s basketball guard
This roster had so much turnover that Pedon noted it was the first time he had seen a whole team introduce itself during the first team meeting. A variety of team bonding events since June has been crucial for the team to build a quick bond.
While the off-court bond could be credited to Pedon, the head coach notes how Sandage brings it all together on the court for ISU.
“He brings a lot of intangibles to the table for our team,” Pedon said. “He’s a gritty player. He’s one of our best competitors. There’s an element of physicality from his position that we don’t have without him.”
With only a handful of holdovers from a season ago, Sandage expects to help bring a new breath of life into the fandom for Redbird faithful.
“With Coach Peden coming in we can get the swagger back and we’re, we’re all really behind that,” Sandage said. “That is how Illinois state basketball is supposed to be. If we could pack this place up, that’d be pretty cool.”
Before finding his way back to Bloomington to pack the arena, Sandage had stops at Vincennes College and Western Illinois. Through his four-year career, Sandage has never averaged less than 8 points per game while playing in at least 20 games a season.
Sandage joins a team that had just a handful of upperclassmen playing significant minutes a season ago. The fifth-year senior brings strong shooting with a hard nose defensive attack. Sandage looks to be an instant leader at his new home.
“I definitely stepped up and had to be a leader here,” Sandage said. “Being a fifth-year guy with a whole new team, I had to tell everybody my experience and allow them to learn from me and also learn from them. At the same time, getting my body right and getting in better shape was one of the big priorities for me this offseason.”
Expecting to be an on-court leader for the team, Sandage noted the keys to the Redbirds’ offense this season.
“A lot of ball movement with these guys – we’re very unselfish and we play hard,” Sandage said. “It’s all about winning the possessions and taking care of the ball is a big focus. There were a lot of games for them last year that were decided by two or three possessions, so that’s been a big emphasis for Pedon.”
Sandage and the Redbirds will take the court for the first time on November 7 at home against Sandage’s former team Western Illinois. The game starts at 7 pm.
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