Men’s Basketball Signs Two of State’s Best Plus Talented Canadian Big
November 14, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Cardinals ink three to NLIs with opening of signing period
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State men's basketball team signed three players -- two of Indiana's top high school players and a big man from Canada -- to National Letters of Intent as the November signing period opened.
The Cardinals will welcome point guard Luke Bumbalough from New Castle, wing Lucas Kroft from Richmond and center Ben Hendriks of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, to campus next year.
"I couldn't be more excited about signing all three of these guys," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "It's certainly as talented a recruiting class as we've had since I've been the head coach here, and it will lead to a very bright future for our program."
Luke Bumbalough, 6-1, PG, New Castle, Ind. (Chrysler HS)
Bumbalough is set to begin his senior season for coach Daniel Cox at New Castle after being selected as an Indiana Junior All-Star last year. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 20.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists during his junior season while shooting 51 percent from the floor and 49 percent from 3-point range. He helped New Castle to a 27-3 record and a Class 3A semistate appearance.
A two-sport standout at New Castle, Bumbalough also held a football scholarship offer from Ball State as a wide receiver. He caught a state-record 27 touchdown passes as a junior in 2017 and recently finished his senior campaign on the gridiron with 16 more total touchdowns.
Bumbalough excelled in AAU basketball for G3 Grind in the Under Armour Association. He was rated among the top 20 players in Indiana's 2019 class by Indianapolis Star prep writer Kyle Neddenriep. He intends to major in business at Ball State.
"Luke is a terrific athlete, an incredibly high-character kid and a true point guard," Whitford said. "He has scored a lot of points on good teams at New Castle, and he had one of the highest assist rates of any player last spring and summer on the AAU circuit. He can do everything at all levels. Luke is a tough kid who has a knack for the intangibles and does all the little things really well. He's the type of leader and point guard every team wants."
Lucas Kroft, 6-5, G/F, Richmond, Ind. (Richmond HS)
Kroft is entering his senior season at Richmond for coach Shabaz Khaliq after moving from Fort Wayne, where he was an All-Summit Athletic Conference selection at Northside High School. He averaged 12.5 points and five rebounds per game last year, playing alongside top-25 national recruit Keion Brooks on Northside's sectional championship team.
The 6-foot-5 Kroft played his AAU basketball for 1Nation out of Michigan in the Under Armour Association. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists last year while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range.
Kroft was also rated among the top 20 players in Indiana's 2019 class by the Indy Star's Neddenriep. He plans to study architecture at Ball State.
"Lucas is a very talented wing," Whitford said. "He has a special talent when the ball is in his hands. He's terrific using pick-and-rolls. Like all these guys, he comes from a great family. He's been around the game his whole life with his dad being a coach, and it really shows when he's on the court. He has an incredibly high basketball IQ, and he's highly competitive with a desire to be a great player."
Ben Hendriks, 6-10, C, Mississauga, Ontario (Orangeville Prep)
Hendriks has just started his final season for Orangeville Prep and coach Tony McIntyre out of The Athlete Institute in Canada. The 6-foot-10 center is in his third year with the program, which travels all over North America. Already 4-0 this season, Orangeville Prep is headed to Phoenix, Arizona, for a tournament this weekend.
Hendriks made it to the final stage of evaluation for Canada's U17 national team but was unable to play because of injury. He competed for CIA Bounce, Canada's top AAU team, on the Nike EYBL circuit.
A hockey player until he became "too tall" for the sport, Hendriks began playing basketball at age 10. He was named his team's Most Improved Player two years ago and earned its Leadership Award last year. He plans to study hospitality management at Ball State.
"Ben is someone we started recruiting this summer, and we fell in love with him as soon as we saw him," Whitford said. "He has incredible size, he's a very good athlete, and he has an extraordinarily high ceiling as a player. Ben has all the skills you want in a big guy. He moves well and has great length, great hands and good feet. He also has the character and work ethic to put all those pieces together."
The Cardinals will welcome point guard Luke Bumbalough from New Castle, wing Lucas Kroft from Richmond and center Ben Hendriks of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, to campus next year.
"I couldn't be more excited about signing all three of these guys," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "It's certainly as talented a recruiting class as we've had since I've been the head coach here, and it will lead to a very bright future for our program."
Luke Bumbalough, 6-1, PG, New Castle, Ind. (Chrysler HS)
Bumbalough is set to begin his senior season for coach Daniel Cox at New Castle after being selected as an Indiana Junior All-Star last year. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 20.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists during his junior season while shooting 51 percent from the floor and 49 percent from 3-point range. He helped New Castle to a 27-3 record and a Class 3A semistate appearance.
A two-sport standout at New Castle, Bumbalough also held a football scholarship offer from Ball State as a wide receiver. He caught a state-record 27 touchdown passes as a junior in 2017 and recently finished his senior campaign on the gridiron with 16 more total touchdowns.
Bumbalough excelled in AAU basketball for G3 Grind in the Under Armour Association. He was rated among the top 20 players in Indiana's 2019 class by Indianapolis Star prep writer Kyle Neddenriep. He intends to major in business at Ball State.
"Luke is a terrific athlete, an incredibly high-character kid and a true point guard," Whitford said. "He has scored a lot of points on good teams at New Castle, and he had one of the highest assist rates of any player last spring and summer on the AAU circuit. He can do everything at all levels. Luke is a tough kid who has a knack for the intangibles and does all the little things really well. He's the type of leader and point guard every team wants."
Welcome to the family, @LukeBumbalough!
— Ball State Men's Basketball (@BallStateMBB) November 14, 2018
New Castle's Luke Bumbalough signed his NLI today. His scoring and dishing skills will keep BSU opponents on their toes for years to come.
Whitford says: "He's the type of leader and point guard every team wants."#ChirpChirp | #WeFly pic.twitter.com/BbVRTlPO3Q
Lucas Kroft, 6-5, G/F, Richmond, Ind. (Richmond HS)
Kroft is entering his senior season at Richmond for coach Shabaz Khaliq after moving from Fort Wayne, where he was an All-Summit Athletic Conference selection at Northside High School. He averaged 12.5 points and five rebounds per game last year, playing alongside top-25 national recruit Keion Brooks on Northside's sectional championship team.
The 6-foot-5 Kroft played his AAU basketball for 1Nation out of Michigan in the Under Armour Association. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists last year while shooting 42 percent from 3-point range.
Kroft was also rated among the top 20 players in Indiana's 2019 class by the Indy Star's Neddenriep. He plans to study architecture at Ball State.
"Lucas is a very talented wing," Whitford said. "He has a special talent when the ball is in his hands. He's terrific using pick-and-rolls. Like all these guys, he comes from a great family. He's been around the game his whole life with his dad being a coach, and it really shows when he's on the court. He has an incredibly high basketball IQ, and he's highly competitive with a desire to be a great player."
Welcome to the family, @kroft_lucas!
— Ball State Men's Basketball (@BallStateMBB) November 14, 2018
Lucas Kroft of Richmond HS signed his NLI today. The versatile wing will be shooting and attacking the rim at Worthen Arena soon.
Whitford says: "Lucas has a special talent when the ball is in his hands."#ChirpChirp | #WeFly pic.twitter.com/kDBCbaiOYO
Ben Hendriks, 6-10, C, Mississauga, Ontario (Orangeville Prep)
Hendriks has just started his final season for Orangeville Prep and coach Tony McIntyre out of The Athlete Institute in Canada. The 6-foot-10 center is in his third year with the program, which travels all over North America. Already 4-0 this season, Orangeville Prep is headed to Phoenix, Arizona, for a tournament this weekend.
Hendriks made it to the final stage of evaluation for Canada's U17 national team but was unable to play because of injury. He competed for CIA Bounce, Canada's top AAU team, on the Nike EYBL circuit.
A hockey player until he became "too tall" for the sport, Hendriks began playing basketball at age 10. He was named his team's Most Improved Player two years ago and earned its Leadership Award last year. He plans to study hospitality management at Ball State.
"Ben is someone we started recruiting this summer, and we fell in love with him as soon as we saw him," Whitford said. "He has incredible size, he's a very good athlete, and he has an extraordinarily high ceiling as a player. Ben has all the skills you want in a big guy. He moves well and has great length, great hands and good feet. He also has the character and work ethic to put all those pieces together."
Welcome to the family, @BigBenHendriks5!
— Ball State Men's Basketball (@BallStateMBB) November 14, 2018
Canada's Ben Hendriks signed his NLI today. Can't wait to have him patrolling the paint in Muncie.
Whitford says: "We started recruiting Ben this summer, and we fell in love with him as soon as we saw him."#ChirpChirp | #WeFly pic.twitter.com/T1mBva8nQn
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