The Illinois State Redbirds welcome Kason Yamada to the family!
Yamada, a 6’1″ 194 lb. goalie is a Bloomington, IL native. He will join the Redbirds in the 2024-25 season after playing for the Peoria Mustangs in the NA3HL.
Kason explained that he chose ISU because, “My parents and many other family members have gone to ISU, and it is close to home.” He intends to major in business and minor in psychology. When asked who his favorite coach was, Yamada said, “Coach Russ Guest. He was diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of the season. As he was fighting his own battle it taught me how to deal with adversity positively and to keep fighting every day.” When asked who his biggest supporter was, Kason stated, “My biggest supporters would have to be my parents. They have driven me to countless practices, games and have let me continue to follow my dreams.” Yamada expressed his biggest win in his career was “winning the NIHL championship my Peewee AA year in overtime.”
Kason expressed that he is looking forward to the great academics ISU has to offer as well as playing with former teammates. Yamada’s favorite food is a Chipotle bowl from Chipotle. Yamada has 1 sibling: Makiah. When asked what animal Kason would want to be, he said he would be an eagle because he would be able to fly.
“I’ve had the luxury of knowing Kason for some time and his work ethic and passion for the game have set him up to have an extremely successful college career! We couldn’t be more excited to have him here at ISU!” – D1 Head Coach Chris Prewitt.
Kason joins the long list of players from the Peoria Mustangs to become a member of the Redbird family including current players and former teammates; Michael Natoli, Tony Campise, Brendan Donovan, Jackson Gram, Ethan Chesney, Jaycob Bland, Ryan Callahan, Declan McDermott, and Cole Walter.
If you’re interested in playing for ISU Hockey, we encourage you to fill out our Recruit Form under the team tab on our website!