New 2008-09 Red Alert Executive Board
Posted by Griffin on 4/20 at 2:40 PM

After our first successful year as an RSO, Red Alert has elected a new executive board, with President Ryan Cullen still at the reigns. Several old members have remained in leadership positions, but we'd like to welcome Emily Schlesak, Cal Hefner, Tyler Lockhart, Katie Giberson, Terry Lemke, and Stephanie Dockery to the team! We have a lot of exciting plans for next year, so stayed tuned for that!

Our Season May Be Over, But I Loved It!
Posted by Griffin on 3/25 at 9:51 AM

Although the men's basketball postseason left all of us a little disappointed, I can't complain. In the four years I've been in the stands at Redbird Arena, this has been the best season yet to be a fan. You may have read this season we've played more games than ever (35) in the program's 110-year history, we've tied the all-time win record (25), this is the first season we've hosted two NIT games, and last night the referees screwed us more than any referees in the program's 110 years of basketball! So it's been a record-setting year. We finished the regular season in second place, after the preseason poll ranked us fifth, and when we lost out on an NCAA bid, at least ESPN recognized us as a seriously snubbed team. And I can't complain about a two seed in the NIT. The highlight of the season, though, has been the 16-2 record at home. That means I've witnessed more wins first-hand than ever before, and it means Red Alert is doing something right. I'm excited by the results of Jankovich's first season, and I'm looking forward to my fifth and final season as student fan. (I'm a grad student, by the way.) Go you Redbirds!

What I've Been Waiting Three Years For
Posted by Griffin on 2/10 at 12:58 PM

I'm a little battle-damaged from last night. My throat is sore, as usual, my hands are cut and cracked from excessive clapping, and my knee is swollen and bruised from landing on the seat in front of me. Needless to say, it was an exciting night as ISU men's basketball beat Bradely 72-68 in front of 10 thousand fans. What's more is this win finally broke a six-game losing streak against our Peoria rival, which is especially important to me. When I moved to Normal in 2005, I started attending basketball games with my friends, intrigued by the talent of players like Trey Guidry. February 5, 2005, was one of my first ISU basketball games, and when we won 69-62 and stormed the court, I gained a sense of excitement that has been with me ever since. So to watch six consecutive losses to Bradley (three from the nosebleeds at Carver Arena in Peoria, two devastating losses at home, and this season's one-point loss on TV) has been utterly heartbreaking. But last night's win brought me back to 2005 and filled me with the excitement that got me into ISU basketball in the first place.

Women, Men top the MVC with Major Hot Streaks!
Posted by Griffin on 1/10 at 4:25 PM

It killed me to be out of town for the last few weeks as our men's and women's basketball teams dominated their opponents and rose to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference. Together, neither team has picked up a loss since December 4, 2007, and the men are on a seven-game win streak, while the women look to pick up their ninth straight win tonight against MVC foe Northern Iowa. If anyone remembers the results of the MVC media day for men's basketball, ISU (12-3, 4-0 MVC) was picked to finish fifth, and is now tied for first. Drake (13-1, 4-0 MVC) is also in first after being picked ninth out of ten. Southern Illinois (7-8, 2-2 MVC), Bradley (7-9, 0-4 MVC), and Missouri State (9-7, 2-2 MVC) were picked first, second, and third, respectively. All of them are now sitting in the bottom half of the MVC. In this article, Kyle Whelliston (ESPN) explains what is causing such unpredicted turmoil in our conference. Regardless the reasons, this is shaping up to be a historic season, and I'm excited to see record fan turnouts this semester!

Men's BB 5-0 at Home!
Posted by Griffin on 12/01 at 9:26 PM

If you haven't been to a men's basketball game this season, first of all, you should be ashamed. But second of all, this is the time to get there! The Redbirds have won their fifth straight home game, and the arena hasn't been as full all season as it was tonight. After tying University of Illinois-Chicago 29-29 at the half, the birds ran the opening of the second half with 12 unanswered points, eventually outscoring the Flames 44-18 to win 73-47. The game was highlighted by Levi Dyer's seven three-pointers (tying the Redbird Arena record), with a season-high 25 points for Dyer. Another incredible game for the Redbirds, and now I know I need to get there even earlier, to compete for the good seats!

All Basketball Still Undefeated!
Posted by Griffin on 11/18 at 4:45 PM

Today women's basketball took the championship at the Best Western Roundball Classic, beating South Florida 82-57, and Osiris Eldrigde scored a career high 30 points in the men's 89-73 victory over UNC-Wilmington. This is only the third time in 34 years the women have been 4-0, and it's been 11 years since the men were last 3-0. This is definitely an exciting season for basketball! In another come-from-behind victory, the men turned a 5-point deficit at the half into a 16-point victory. The next home basketball game is the women against DePaul next Sunday. I can't wait!

2-0 Thanks to O!
Posted by Griffin on 11/14 at 9:50 PM

For the first time since the 2001-2002 ISU basketball season, the Redbirds are undefeated two games into the regular season. Sophomore Osiris "O" Eldridge scored an incredible game high 27 points to lead the 'Birds to victory over the SEMO Redhawks. In this amazingly exciting game, Southeastern Missouri State led ISU 46-44 at the half, but the 'Birds outscored their opponents 46-25 in the second half. Add in dunkmaster Anthony Slack, a crowded arena on their feet, and this is why I love Redbird basketball! Let's keep the momentum going this season! Remember Red Alert members, be sure to pick up hard tickets for Sunday's game against UNC-Wilmington. See you there!

Men's Basketball Undefeated this Season!
Posted by Griffin on 11/11 at 3:34 PM

The Redbirds crushed their first opponents of the regular season, beating the UMSL Tritons 70-37. The next game is Wednesday night at 7, so I'll see you there! I gotta go watch the end of the women's soccer championship game!

Women, Men Get the Ball Rolling to End the Preseason
Posted by Griffin on 11/08 at 9:10 AM

I'm a biased Redbird fan; I love basketball! So it was great to see the women's and men's b-ball teams win all their exhibition games this week. The girls crushed NW Missouri State 83-63, destroyed Upper Iowa 81-51, and the boys dominated Quincy last night 82-61. The fan turnout was great too, so I can't wait to see everyone again Sunday at 1 p.m. for the Men's home opener! I-S-U Go!

Season-high Points for Homecoming
Posted by Griffin on 10/13 at 5:02 PM

Not only did more than 14 thousand fans create a wave that circled Hancock Stadium several times, but ISU scored 10 touchdowns against Indiana State! Scoring a season-high number of points, ISU easily won 69-17. It was great to see such a great Homecoming turnout, so keep it up!

It's All Wins this Weekend!
Posted by Griffin on 9/17 at 7:21 AM

The Redbirds played eight games on Saturday and Sunday, and won every single one! That's nine consecutive wins for the collective teams. Volleyball started the weekend off on Friday night at Southern Illinois, winning in four games. The following night, they took it to Evansville, Indiana and came back to beat their conference rivals in five games. Softball played and won five games over the weekend, racking up a total 32 runs, and taking their streak to six. Football increased their winning streak to two, beating Eastern Illinois 24-21. Finally, soccer shut out Morehead State yesterday 4-0. It was another amazing weekend for Illinois State. I can't wait for the next one! Go you Redbirds!

4,000 Members and Counting!
Posted by Griffin on 9/13 at 2:34 PM

Red Alert membership is up to 4,000! It's great to see that so many students are taking an active role in helping our teams achieve victory! Here's a shot from the football season opener that illustrates the dedication of our fanbase. This is the kind of enthusiasm we like to see at every sporting event, so keep it up! And why stop at 4,000? Tell your friends to join up, and keep spreading the red! If we keep setting records for attendance, this is going to continue to be a very exciting season!

What an Incredible Weekend!
Posted by Griffin on 9/09 at 3:50 PM

You gotta love our Illinois State athletes! The women of the soccer team started off the weekend with a 3-0 win over Central Michigan. The football team came back from last week's heartbreaking loss to crush Murray State on Saturday 43-17. And volleyball is strong as usual with two 3-0 sweeps against Eastern Illinois and Ball State Saturday. After all this, it's a shame we have so many away games coming up, but be sure to be at Redbird Arena this Tuesday night (09/11) at 7 PM to see volleyball take on Ohio State!

What's a Billiken?!
Posted by Griffin on 9/04 at 10:20 PM

Thanks everyone who came out to support our lady Redbirds tonight! The team swept the Saint Louis University Billikens (30-24, 30-28, 30-25), giving them their third match win in a row. This is already the second time this season the volleyball team has been on a three-match winning streak! Our girls were great tonight, and I hope to see all the fans back next Tuesday night!

Tonight: Birds battle Billikens at Redbird Arena
Posted by Griffin on 9/04 at 12:43 PM

Coming off their second-place win at the 'Bama Bash tournament in Tuscaloosa, Alabama this past weekend, the women of the ISU volleyball team are hoping to extend their current winning streak to three! Help us cheer them to victory tonight at 7 against Saint Louis University!

Get in the Zoo to start off the Football season!
Posted by Griffin on 8/28 at 9:13 PM

Because of last year's record-setting football attendance, students will now need a ticket to sit in the "Zoo," the student section on the south end of the Hancock Stadium. If you're already a Red Alert member, you can head to the ticket office at Redbird Arena to pick up your free ticket five days before each home football game this season. General students can buy theirs three days in advance. Only 2,500 tickets will be printed for each game, so be sure to plan ahead. So if you don't have your ticket yet for Thursday's game, hurry up! A full schedule of ticket pick-up times is located here.

Welcome to ISURedAlert.com!
Posted by Griffin on 8/28 at 8:16 PM

Hey everyone! Welcome to the new ISURedAlert.com! Red Alert is a new student organization at Illinois State. Our job is to promote the student fanbase for ISU athletics. We get to work closely with the athletics department, so we have a lot of exciting plans for the upcoming semester. This website is just one of the latest things we're working on, and we hope to use this site to provide a lot of valuable information for ISU fans. There are still a few things we're hoping to add to the site, so stay tuned for more! And be sure to join the Red Alert E-mail Updates list to stay informed! And if you're not a Red Alert member, what are you waiting for?!