Photo by: Paul Hokanson
Men’s Basketball Team Back on Campus for Costa Rica Prep
June 17, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Cardinals will feature different look this season with six fresh faces
MUNCIE, Ind. -- You might call Tahjai Teague fortunate. After all, he will take his second foreign trip with the Ball State men's basketball team this summer. That's a chance most players don't get, considering the trips are allowed by the NCAA just once every four years.
Teague didn't feel quite so fortunate the first time around when a broken foot reduced him to spectator status in the Bahamas back in 2015. The injury led him to redshirt that season as a true freshman, the extra year ultimately helping with his development.
Now a fifth-year senior and the Cardinals' elder statesman, Teague is hoping this summer's trip to Costa Rica will provide a springboard similar to the one four years ago when BSU went on to its first 20-win season in more than a dozen years.
Teague and his teammates returned (or in some cases, arrived) to campus last week, eager for a summer of workouts and practices to prepare for the July 30-Aug. 5 trip. For a team working in three complete newcomers and three redshirts, the opportunity is a welcome one.
"When (fall) practice comes along, they're not going to be deer in the headlights," Teague said. "They can get it out of the way now, and then we can lay our foundation. I think (the Bahamas trip) catapulted our team that year, so hopefully it does the same thing. It's kind of like a sneak peek."
Teague is the team's top returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 boards last year. He is one of three starters (Kyle Mallers and K.J. Walton) and eight total letterwinners returning from last season.
Gone are the Cardinals' two highest profile players in three-time All-MAC point guard Tayler Persons and big man Trey Moses, both of whom are pursuing professional basketball opportunities.
Wing types Jarron Coleman, Kani Acree and Miryne Thomas are ready to step in after sitting out last season as redshirts. Indiana Mr. Basketball finalist Luke Bumbalough, fellow homegrown guard Lucas Kroft and Canadian big man Ben Hendriks are eager to join the fold, as well.
With 10 full practices allotted for teams taking foreign trips plus traditional summer workouts, the Cardinals are looking to acclimate the young guys and determine what this year's squad will look like on the floor.
"We have a different team, particularly on offense," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "So we're doing some different things on offense, getting new guys playing together, trying to get a sense of what our strengths are, what our weaknesses are, what's the best way for us to try to attack."
It's one of the most enjoyable times of the year for Whitford who revels in teaching the game. In addition to fundamentals and X's and O's, the summer offers the seventh-year coach a chance to set the tone for the level of commitment and focus he expects.
He has seven weeks to do that before the team departs in late July. The Cardinals will play three games there, one against a Costa Rican team and two versus the University of Ottawa. The itinerary also calls for sightseeing trips and a visit to a local orphanage.
The trip and the preceding practices should allow for a leg up in the team's development both on and off the court entering the 2019-20 season.
"It should be very beneficial," Whitford said. "It's as beneficial as we make it. If we take full advantage of this time, then it's very beneficial. The challenge for us is to make sure we get every ounce out of these days that we can."
Teague didn't feel quite so fortunate the first time around when a broken foot reduced him to spectator status in the Bahamas back in 2015. The injury led him to redshirt that season as a true freshman, the extra year ultimately helping with his development.
Now a fifth-year senior and the Cardinals' elder statesman, Teague is hoping this summer's trip to Costa Rica will provide a springboard similar to the one four years ago when BSU went on to its first 20-win season in more than a dozen years.
Teague and his teammates returned (or in some cases, arrived) to campus last week, eager for a summer of workouts and practices to prepare for the July 30-Aug. 5 trip. For a team working in three complete newcomers and three redshirts, the opportunity is a welcome one.
"When (fall) practice comes along, they're not going to be deer in the headlights," Teague said. "They can get it out of the way now, and then we can lay our foundation. I think (the Bahamas trip) catapulted our team that year, so hopefully it does the same thing. It's kind of like a sneak peek."
Teague is the team's top returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 boards last year. He is one of three starters (Kyle Mallers and K.J. Walton) and eight total letterwinners returning from last season.
It was back to work this week!
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) June 14, 2019
Summer workouts, the first of 10 full-team practices for our Costa Rica trip.
Tahjai Teague is entering his final year and breaks down what lies ahead ... pic.twitter.com/OOHq1g2EPP
Gone are the Cardinals' two highest profile players in three-time All-MAC point guard Tayler Persons and big man Trey Moses, both of whom are pursuing professional basketball opportunities.
Wing types Jarron Coleman, Kani Acree and Miryne Thomas are ready to step in after sitting out last season as redshirts. Indiana Mr. Basketball finalist Luke Bumbalough, fellow homegrown guard Lucas Kroft and Canadian big man Ben Hendriks are eager to join the fold, as well.
With 10 full practices allotted for teams taking foreign trips plus traditional summer workouts, the Cardinals are looking to acclimate the young guys and determine what this year's squad will look like on the floor.
"We have a different team, particularly on offense," Ball State head coach James Whitford said. "So we're doing some different things on offense, getting new guys playing together, trying to get a sense of what our strengths are, what our weaknesses are, what's the best way for us to try to attack."
It's one of the most enjoyable times of the year for Whitford who revels in teaching the game. In addition to fundamentals and X's and O's, the summer offers the seventh-year coach a chance to set the tone for the level of commitment and focus he expects.
He has seven weeks to do that before the team departs in late July. The Cardinals will play three games there, one against a Costa Rican team and two versus the University of Ottawa. The itinerary also calls for sightseeing trips and a visit to a local orphanage.
The trip and the preceding practices should allow for a leg up in the team's development both on and off the court entering the 2019-20 season.
"It should be very beneficial," Whitford said. "It's as beneficial as we make it. If we take full advantage of this time, then it's very beneficial. The challenge for us is to make sure we get every ounce out of these days that we can."
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