NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head men’s basketball coach Ryan Pedon has added two high school seniors to become the newest members of the Redbird men’s basketball family. Forward Jack Daugherty and guard Cade Norris have signed National Letters of Intent to become a part of the 2024-25 ISU squad.

“I am really excited about this signing class,” said Pedon. “I wanted to plant roots with this group and I thought this was a very important class for our program’s future. Building off last year’s signees, we were looking to find pieces that fit our program culture, on and off the court, and we did that with Jack and Cade.”

Daugherty, a 6-8 forward from Brookfield, Wisconsin, has scored 903 points through 80 career high school games. As a junior he averaged 17.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, making 43 percent (62-of-245) of his shots from long range. He scored in double-figures in 23-of-25 games, including scoring a career-high 41 points on December 20 at Wauwatosa West. He had six games of 20 or more points and had 17 games in which he made at least two three-point baskets. He pulled down double-digit rebounds 10 times with nine double-doubles. His efforts saw him earn a spot on the WBCA Division I Honorable Mention All-State team.

“We loved Jack’s mixture of size, skill, and versatility,” commented the head coach. “At 6-8, he shoots the ball as well as anyone we evaluated in this class. His improvement as an overall player since last season was also very impressive to us. We feel like the sky is the limit for Jack. His maturity, work ethic, and desire to grow all suggest that his best days are clearly ahead of him.”

During his sophomore season he averaged 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest, converting on 41 percent (73-of-179) from beyond the arc.  He scored in double-figures 19 times as a sophomore including a season-high 30 points in the season opener against Racine Case. Seven times he pulled down double-digit rebounds, including a career-high 17 against Madison West on March 4 and had four total double-doubles on the year.

Norris, a 6-4 guard from Hilliard, Ohio, averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game during his junior season for the Hilliard Bradley squad en route to being named Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Division I First Team All-State. The Hilliard Bradley team, coached by his father Brett, advanced to the second round of the state playoffs after topping St. Charles and Redbird freshman Chase Walker in the district semifinal before falling to eventual state runner-up Pickerington Central.

“I have known Cade and his family for a long time and we are very confident in the player, person, teammate, and competitor that he will be as a Redbird,” said the head coach. “Cade is a do-everything type of player that values winning at the highest level. He addresses our need for a versatile perimeter player with size, and we are so excited about him joining our Redbird family.”

During his sophomore season he averaged 16.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game and reached double-figure points 19 times in 21 games, including a season-high 33 points against Upper Arlington on January 21. He was named Special Mention OHSAA All-State and All-Central District First Team. As a freshman he averaged 14.0 points per game as he scored a season-high 29 points at Hilliard Davidson on January 29.

“Each of the two signees come from basketball families. Jack’s father, Sean, played at the University of Wisconsin, and Cade’s dad, Brett, was his high school coach. Cade’s two older brothers – Braden (Loyola Chicago) and Keaton (Wright State) – are also Division I basketball players.”

The Redbirds are currently 1-0 on the season after a 75-56 win over Lourdes University in the season opener, and the squad will travel to St. Louis on Saturday to face off against the Saint Louis Billikens in a 7 p.m. tip-off.
 
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