ILLINOIS STATE DRIVEN TO REACH NCAAS
Illinois State coach Dan Muller is candid in his belief that his men’s basketball team has an obvious “it factor.”
The Redbirds ( 18- 4, 10- 0) are off to their best start in Missouri Valley Conference play and lead the league standings for the first time since Muller was lacing it up for his alma mater as a two- time MVC defensive player of the year.
The fifth- year coach isn’t shy in his confidence with this group, playing with a swagger and togetherness reminiscent of Illinois State’s last NCAA tournament team— in 1998 with Muller as the star.
In pondering what makes his team click, Muller starts by mentioning his three veteran playmakers — point guard Paris Lee, leading scorer Deontae Hawkins and forward MiKyle McIntosh. He also points out the depth and experience, with his first recruiting class now seniors. And he raves about an elite defense that ranks 12th nationally in points allowed.
But the answer isn’t really about basketball. The Redbirds have a guardian angel. “If we make it ( to the NCAAs), Torrey’s still a part of this,” Muller says.
Torrey Ward, who was Illinois State’s associate head coach, was one of seven passengers killed in a plane crash April 7, 2015. The group, which also included deputy athletics director Aaron Leetch, was returning from the Final Four in Indianapolis. The tragedy is not forgotten: The locker room features a mural of Ward on the wall and a “Redbird 7” logo on the carpet. That logo, which commemorates the seven lost, also is on patches on the players’ jerseys.
“There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about those guys on the plane,” Muller says. “We wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for Torrey. He recruited half the dudes on the roster.”
Lee is among the players most affected. He and his teammates wear “Working for Ward” and “T Ward” bracelets. During the national anthem on game days, several players point to the sky for Ward. And Lee wears Jordan sneakers that were previously Ward’s, given to him by Ward’s mother, Janice. Since he started wearing