Muller, Illinois State driven to return to NCAAs — with tragedy a key motivator

January 30, 2017

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Illinois State coach Dan Muller extends his arms and expresses disbelief after a non-call by the officials.(Photo: Darryl Oumi, Getty Images)

Illinois State coach Dan Muller is candid in his belief that his team has an obvious “it factor” this season.

The Redbirds (18-4, 10-0) are off to their best start in Missouri Valley play and lead the conference 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 also isn’t shy in his confidence with this group, which is 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 it is that 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 team’s depth and experience, with his first recruiting class now seniors. And he revels 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 this season.

“If we make it (to the NCAAs), Torrey’s still a part of this,” Muller says.

The Redbird 7 logo, worn on players' jerseys, features

The Redbird 7 logo, worn on players’ jerseys, features the initials of the seven lives lost in a tragic 2015 plane crash. (Photo: Illinois State University Athletics)

Torrey Ward, former Illinois State associate head coach, was one of seven passengers killed in a plane crash on April 7, 2015. The group, which also included deputy athletic 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 worn as patches on 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 around campus. During the national anthem on game days, several players point up to the sky for Ward. And Lee now wears sneakers Ward picked out for him. Since he started wearing the shoes at the start of conference play, the team hasn’t lost.

“We always talk about memories, how (Ward) would’ve acted in a certain situation, how funny he was,” Lee says.

All-conference point guard Paris Lee has been the heart

All-conference point guard Paris Lee has been the heart and soul of the Redbirds for the past four seasons as a starter. (Photo: Sean Pokorny, USA TODAY Sports)

The players and coaching staff don’t bury their pain. Instead they wear it, and promote Ward’s legacy in the process. They talk about their motivating force often.

Likewise, Muller says the team doesn’t shy away from talking about “the elephant in the room.” That would be their goal of reaching the NCAA tournament.

Muller arrived at Illinois State in 2012 with an obvious mission: Get the Redbirds back to the Big Dance. He knows the fan base is starving and how close the program has been to eclipsing the Valley’s longest NCAA tourney drought of 18 years; they’ve played in four of the last nine MVC tournament finals.

Of this year’s team, Muller says: “I think we can play with anyone in the country. … I think we’re one of the best, if not the best, mid-majors in the country.”

“I think we’re one of the best, if not the best, mid-majors in the country.”

Dan Muller, Illinois State head coach

Yet as confident as he and his players are, Muller knows one bad week can be the difference between the NCAA tournament and NIT. Illinois State’s credentials — an RPI of 34 but no top-60 non-conference wins — might perhaps pass a blind résumé test. But it’s never that simple.

Should the Redbirds not claim the MVC’s automatic bid by winning the conference tournament in St. Louis, USA TODAY Sports bracketologist Shelby Mast believes they have a decent shot at landing an at-large bid — a rare occurrence for mid-majors — only if they beat Wichita State on the road Saturday and don’t suffer a bad loss

“If they lose to a bad team, they’re out,” Mast says.

Lee, the team’s floor general and vocal leader, grew up dreaming of playing in the NCAA tournament as a kid. This season he’s replacing dreaming with doing.

Versatile forward Deontae Hawkins leads Illinois State

Versatile forward Deontae Hawkins leads Illinois State in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg). (Photo: Darryl Oumi, Getty Images)

“Right now, it’s very important for us to stay focused and not get complacent,” says Lee, who averages 13 points, 5.3 assists and 2.2 steals a game. “I try to constantly remind the guys who haven’t been here that we haven’t done nothing yet.”

Since taking over first place in the Valley — with a convincing 76-62 victory Jan. 14 against the conference’s most successful program, Wichita State — Lee says the Redbirds have had a constant target on their back.

“When you’re No. 1 in the conference, you’re getting everyone’s best shot,” he says. “They’re throwing haymakers at us. I think, so far, we’ve responded the right way. The key has been on defense. …we take pride in our defense and let it start our offense. We aren’t afraid to call each other out if one of us gets beat. This is the closest team I’ve ever been on — on and off the court. But we challenge each other. Then because of that, guys don’t want to get beat because they know they’ll be letting their brothers down.”

That defensive accountability and high standard is part of the culture Muller, who spent 12 seasons under Kevin Stallings at Vanderbilt, brought to the program. But the 40-year old coach credits the personal relationships he’s established with players as a major component to the program’s success. And he learned that from his late friend, Torrey Ward.

“The tragedy helped me grow as a coach and a man,” Muller says. “For the older guys, we’ve been through it together. That’s why we keep it close to us.”

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