Last season may not have turned out as anticipated but there were some bright spots.  Foremost of these is a high scoring wing who might just have the largest gap between himself and the next guy on the roster of any team in the MVC and that includes the Bird Man.  Really!  Junior shooting guard Doug Collins is the real deal and can flat score with anyone.  He is the leader and only true stud on the Redbird squad.  A gifted shooter who is tenacious and truly understands the game, Collins may have the highest basketball IQ on the planet, or at least this side of Terre Haute.  Larry Bird may be the most recognizable Missouri Valley all world beater but Collins was every bit as important to this team’s success as Bird.  In games Collins scored more than twenty points, the Redbirds went 9 and 5.   In games he scored more than thirty they went 3 and 1.  He has all the skills to be a great pro but his best skill is his intelligence.  He may be a little too smart at times if that is even possible but if anyone is, it is Collins.  He is one heck of a competitor though who will not back down from anyone.  The skinny white kid from Benton Illinois came to Normal at about six two but has grown to six foot six.  He still only weights about 180 soaking wet but this added height has helped him be able to get off his potent jump shot over the slew of defenders they send his way to stop this assassin.  And boy does this kid love the three point line.  He is adept at coming off screens and popping shots from behind the arc or in front of it, it does not matter.  He just loves to shoot.  Collins can also get to the hole and draw harm which he is not afraid of and will stick his skinny bones in there for rebounds though all the contact is catching up with this svelte kid.  He missed a few games with some feet issues and a bum knee but as he showed in the Southern Illinois game he is a warrior and will play through pain.  He has two more years to dazzle the fans in Normal and then he will almost assuredly be a high draft pick for the pros.  He is that good.  Collins is an unselfish player who is a good ballhandler who can pass (he averaged three assists a game) but he also is smart to know that his team needs him to score.  And he does not mind that at all.  He finished third in the conference to Bird in scoring and earned second team All-Valley accolades (How this kid did not make first team is a disgrace on the league) but will be the favorite for MVP next year if the Redbirds can improve and get into the upper half of the league.  Of course that will depend on how his teammates play but if this ‘Lone Ranger’ has anything to ‘say’ about it this team will get there.   Collins is not afraid to speak his mind that is for sure as sometimes he looks like the team’s coach the way he pleads and cajoles his teammates on the sidelines. 

Junior center Jeff Wilkins had a good second season for the redbirds and was a solid complement to Collins.  A good shot blocker and scorer and tough on the boards, Wilkins has the size and potential to be really good.  Wilkins is one of the best screen guys in the league knowing how to plant his wide body well for Collins and company to come around and get their jumper on.  His offense improved as the season went on and he ended finishing third on the team in scoring with his ability to hit the glass on the offensive and a little baby hook he is developing on the blocks.  He is not just a big body as Robins saw this kid at a JC and immediately brought him to Normal.  He is improving every day and continues to work hard.  He seems to get better as he progresses and has a bright future if he continues to develop some burgeoning low post skills.  Wilkins did miss a few games with minor injuries and was suspended after the brawl in Furman and this team needs him to succeed.  With the lack of size and talent up front Wilkins is by far the best the Redbirds have in the paint and will continue to be their number one option in the paint.  If Wilkins continues to improve as he did his Junior year he might have a shot at the next level with his size and desire.  Fellow Junior Ron deVries is also big but nowhere near as talented as Wilkins.  This Detroit native can bang and is tough on the boards but is much better suited as a backup.  But having two almost seven footers to rotate in was indeed a luxury the Redbirds took advantage of as you did not go to the hole without being challenged against these two.  Ten fouls can be spread pretty well and when you are playing the Carrs and Benjamins of the Valley you use them wisely. 

Collins and Wilkins were the only two givens for the Redbirds as the coaches shuttled in a slew of others trying to find the right combination of talent to match up the monsters of the Valley.  Some of the upperclassmen (and underclassmen for that matter) outside of the two big centers were either not big enough or athletic enough for this level of competition.  A good example of this is Senior power forward Fred Marberry.  Marberry is a hard worker who will give you what he has every night.  He is one heck of a leaper (he has to be as a six one forward) who was dominant at times at the lower levels.  Up here he became a role player with decreasing minutes as the season progressed though Robinson loved what he brought to the table.  That usually means a lot of boards and solid scoring on the blocks.  Vastly undersized Marberry is limited defensively but worked his butt off to make up for it. When Donewald took over he had to make the tough choice of putting Marberry on the bench as there was no way this guy was going to be able to guard a Silas or a Carr.    On the opposite end of the talent boat but in the same position was Senior Jerry McGreal.  McGreal is your basic solid all-around guard who can do many things to help a team succeed.  The problem is the things he is not especially good at get in the way such as being able to guard quick, athletic guards.  This is not his forte and the fact that he is only six two and does not exactly jump through like let’s say Marberry make his jump shot a little easier to contest than the guys he started the season next in the back court the one and only Me. Collins.  He like Marberry did not make it through the year still playing let alone starting.  A couple of juniors stepped up and though they were not exactly Frazier and Bird gave the Redbirds some solid play at their positions.  Ron Jones got the most minutes of any Redbird at the point and Bill Lewis played both forward positions.  The duo played 29 and 27 games respectively which were the most on the team and were solid contributors all year.  Jones is a big point guard who can score but was asked to set up his teammates (especially Collins) and defend.  He did not complain though there are some the roles in the back court could just as easily been reversed.  Jones at six five is also a good long range shooter who came to Normal (from Venice) looking to be a point guard but realized he was going to be stuck behind the chosen one and had to find a new position.  He has fought his way up the totem pole and when Stallings took over he quickly became the team’s point guard and leader.  Jones is a good player but he is nowhere near the long range shooter as Collins.  He is however the best defender in the back court and led the team in steals and is gaining a reputation as a cold blooded shooter when game is on the line.  Jones became a leader of this team this season will not be giving up his starting role without a fight even if he is better suited for a two guard.   Lewis is a good combo forward who got most of his minutes at the four and was a bit overmatched here.  This Chicago kid was a great high school player who can score and board but at six foot six and about 190 is no Antoine Carr though he is probably a better rebounder than the Big Dog.  Lewis has got a silky smooth jump shot that he takes out to about 18 feet but has not yet developed three point range.  He can play inside and can also handle the ball with his dynamic offensive arsenal.  Lewis is the next best offensive player on this team behind Collins and never gets his due but is a complete player.  Both are favorites to start again but Stallings brought in plenty of competition to try and get this team to the next level in the Valley.  Junior Rick Whitlow played a little early and is coming off a fine Sophomore year but was stuck in the doghouse way too much this year and his future is Normal is not looking good. 

Now for the Underclassmen who Donewald will be counting on to get this program into the elite of the Valley next year.  The Sophomore Class had high expectations with some good front court players but ironically only one got considerable playing time.  Rick Lamb showed some ability in the paint and has enough size to play the four but is better suited for the five especially in today’s game with the stretch positions and these players having to run the court and shoot from distance.  This is not Lamb.  He is a back to the board guy who has moves and uses his size to get his shot off in the paint and loves to play physical.  Of course this is not so easy against seven footers when you are six seven but he knows what he is doing down low.  Lamb makes up for it with enormous strength as he is an avid weight lifter (almost too much) who bulls his way to the basket.  Every team needs a guy like Lamb who loves to mix it up in the ring er on the court and is not afraid to throw a figure four at someone now and then.  ‘The Enforcer’ might be pushing it a bit far but he is definitely the most physical player on the team who knows how to throw his weight around the paint.  He got into his fair share of games as he was a tough matchup with his bulk and toughness down low and is a gamer.  Fellow Sophomores Hank Cornley, Derrick Sanders and Lou Stefanovic got stuck on the JV. All can play and if Donewald gives them a chance could push for some serious PT.  Forward may not have any superstars ala Collins but there is depth and talent here for the Redbirds. 

Donewald will bring along a large group of seniors from the D-2 days but most of these guys are going to be deep on the bench unless a slew of injuries hit.   Blaine Royer, Kenny ‘Buzz’ Shaw, Bill Sarver and George Terry are a quartert of guards who have produced in the past  but nowhere near big or fast enough for D-1.  Like McGreal, these guys will not be cut loose but they won’t be playing ahead of Collins and company either.  Tom Taulbee, Ron English and Steve Arends are a trio of undersized big men who are now practice fodder for the likes of Wilkins and DeVries.  Fellow junior Joe Galvin might have a shot though after a solid year on the JV.  Galvin will get a shot because he has size at 7’0 220 and in basketball size is everything.

The Illinois State Redbirds were really a one man gang this season.  Junior Doug Collins scored a higher percentage of his team’s points than anyone in the MVC including Larry Bird.  If Collins wasn’t hitting jump shots from the cheap seats over three guys he was dishing to a teammate or grabbing a board down low.  It is up to Coach Donewald to get a more balanced attack and bring some support for Collins.  He has a solid crew of hard working players who were willing to be supportive players and do have talent but not at the same level as their new peers in the Valley.  This is a problem and they are trying to recruit the heck out of the greater Chicago area to find a few gems being overlooked by the big boys of Big 10 and Big 8.  It is not easy when you were not too long ago an independent and now you are in arguably the best and most competitive mid-major conference in America.  He has one thing in his favor as he has a bunch of characters on his squad which is apropos since Illinois State has produced so many great character actors ie John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, Laurie Metcalfe, Jane Lynch, Judith Ivey, Sean Hayes, Craig Robinson, Tim Russ and the great Gary Cole.  No matter how weird it gets next year things have to change for the Redbirds.