Photo by: Ball State Athletics
A Letter from Coach Whitford as Practice Begins
September 23, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Cardinals begin practice this week; Coach Whitford tells you about his team's summer
Dear Cardinals Fans:
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As we embark this week on practice for the 2019-20 season, I wanted to take a moment to reconnect you with your Ball State men's basketball team. As many of you have seen, we had an exciting summer, highlighted by our trip to Costa RicaÂ
Â
You can see a lot of great videos from our trip right here on ballstatesports.com and on our social media pages. For those like myself who have an allergic reaction to most things social media, I'll do my best to take you through the trip, largely from a cultural perspective but also with a brief takeaway of how I thought we played.
Â
First, a little background. Once every four years, the NCAA permits teams to take a foreign tour during the summertime. You are allowed up to 10 full practices to prepare, offering valuable time in the gym you would otherwise not have. In addition, the trips provide student-athletes a remarkable educational opportunity, something I wanted our team to take full advantage of.
Â
On our last foreign trip in 2015, we took the team to the Bahamas. That trip proved to be very valuable, as our team made a remarkable turnaround from last place in the MAC West in 2014 to co-champs in 2015. But as fruitful as that trip was on the court, and enjoyable away from it, we did not get much of a cultural experience. We stayed at the Atlantis resort and spent the majority of our time either on the resort or in the gym for games and practices.
Â
This summer, we wanted to maintain the benefits of the extra basketball but also give our guys a deeper cultural experience. Costa Rica provided a tremendous opportunity to do just that. We were able to play very good competition, including two games against the University of Ottawa, a top-tier Canadian program. Those games were difficult tests and taught us a lot about ourselves. In addition, we had fun and educational excursions each day, which I am excited to share about in more detail …
Â
Costa Rica – Pura Vida
The Spanish phrase "Pura Vida" is the common refrain that echoes throughout Costa Rica. Its literal translation in English is "Pure Life," but it is used to express any number of things … hello, goodbye, thank you, you're welcome … almost any kind of passing greeting. I'm one of many who came home with a t-shirt proclaiming "Pura Vida" as a reminder of our time there.
Â
The phrase also describes the beauty and cleanliness of the country, two things Costa Ricans are extremely proud of. They're also very proud of their agricultural history, specifically as it relates to their world-famous coffee production, although our guides were quick to inform us the largest chunks of their economy these days come from tourism, medical supplies and computer microchips.
Â
But back to the country's beauty … It was on full display on our first full day when we visited La Paz Waterfall Gardens. What a great way to begin our trip after our long travels the day before. We had relatively few bumps from our flights with the exception of a minor eye infection. Note to all: Remove your contacts if sleeping all day on a plane! Just ask Blake Huggins.
Â
As amazing as the views of the natural waterfalls and the rainforest we hiked were the animals that call La Paz home.They all could not survive on their own in the wild either because they had previously been pets or they had been injured. But they had large cages and were treated well. They ranged from toucans to snakes to jaguars. There was also a butterfly sanctuary where you could actually see butterflies emerging from their cocoons and flying into the wild for the first time (takes only about 20 minutes… amazing!).
An Emotional Connection
Really the most important aspect of the trip from my perspective was for our guys to come away with an understanding of what life is like outside the comforts of our home here in the United States. There are vast portions of this world that are not nearly as fortunate as we are, and it is important for our guys to see that firsthand.
Â
And on the third day of our trip, we were blessed to visit an orphanage and social services center run by a Catholic priest and hundreds of volunteers in the heart of San Jose. One of our guides told us that in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, where the vast majority of the country's population lives, there are an average of 2,600 people per square mile! And while some of the people there are well-to-do, the majority are not.Â
Â
The orphanage houses children with either no parents or parents who are going through tough times. The mission also has a homeless shelter that provides housing, food and shelter, serving almost 1,500 meals a day to anyone who wants to come. We toured the shelter and then spent a couple hours playing with the young children on their soccer field and walking them through a small zoo on the church's grounds. They were probably all younger than 5 years old. It was, as you can imagine, moving beyond belief. I still get emotional thinking about it.Â
Â
We were guided by this amazing woman who has dedicated her life to helping all those who need her. She is filled with optimism and joy and seems to truly enjoy her work, all of which is volunteer. She shared that she was once an illegal immigrant in the United States. She lived in New York City from age 18 to 30 and met a fellow Costa Rican whom she married. She and her husband eventually relocated back to their home country. They make a good enough living that she can afford to work for free at the shelter. In a very elegant way, she connected the dots for our guys about the challenges of life in Central America and why people like her have tried to migrate to the United States. She is one of the most amazing people I can ever remember meeting.
Â
As a coach of a large group of young people, I watched with great pleasure as our players interacted with the little kids. They were blowing bubbles with the youngest ones, kicking soccer balls and throwing frisbees with others. The kids screamed with delight as these giants playfully chased them around the field. Our guys picked them up, hugged them, carried them around. I think they had as much fun as the little ones. As much as everyone enjoyed themselves, I think our guys realized our time there was just a short snapshot. Many of these children will face difficulties because of the hand they have been dealt. Life will not be easy for a large number of them despite the love and care they are receiving right now.Â
Â
Our guys were exposed to something they had likely only heard about through social media and a few media platforms. The potential immigrants they hear about every day were right in front of us. It really put a face and a human connection to the story. It was one of those educational experiences you can't learn from a book or in a classroom … and it made the entire trip.
Â
The City and the Beach
We also thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of our Costa Rican cultural experience … our tour of San Jose, our visit to the popular Crocodile Bridge, our trip to the beach and our ziplining excursion through the jungle (upside down for those among us who were not faint of heart). As part of our San Jose tour, a fellow adopted Hoosier took us inside the National Stadium, site of the biggest soccer matches in the country and home to the national teams.Â
Â
These days, Mauricio Ortiz Ortiz is the newly-appointed Costa Rican ambassador to Canada (we met him at our first game against the University of Ottawa). But amazingly, back in the late 1970s, he played basketball as an exchange student just up the road at Huntington North High School. Mauricio spoke of the ways in which his year in Indiana impacted his life in a positive way and shared some of his stories with us. He talked about the Statue of Liberty and the powerful impact it had on him as a boy. Then he took a few minutes to chat with a couple of our Fort Wayne guys, Kyle Mallers and Brachen Hazen, about his memories of living in the area and of Hoosier Hysteria.
Â
We then toured the local opera house and walked a few blocks to a local market where we shopped for souvenirs and gifts for friends and family. My own kids, who were with us, were able to buy "unofficial" Costa Rican national team soccer jerseys for $10. (We later saw them on sale at the airport for $130!). Our beach trip was to Jaco Beach on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Along with the ziplining, we played an intense team volleyball match in the hotel pool and recuperated from our three games in three days before heading back home.
Â
The trip was incredible, and I felt particularly blessed to have been able to open our guys up to new experiences that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. Watching our players grow and develop from opportunities like these is one of the deepest joys I personally receive from coaching.
Â
The Basketball
Each of our first three full days in Costa Rica, we played a game at the end of the day's excursions. The first game was against a Costa Rican national team. The second and third were both against the University of Ottawa. Ottawa, in particular, gave us a very difficult test. They are well-coached and have a long tradition of winning within Canada. They even beat Indiana on its 2014 summer tour.Â
Â
We won all three games, and I was particularly pleased with the grit and togetherness our players demonstrated. We got down early, played everybody regardless of the score and were forced to deal with some adversity. The way our team responded showed me some things about our character that I felt were, and will be, very valuable for us throughout the year.
Â
It was exciting to see our three freshmen and our three redshirts from last year play for the first time. We saw good things from each of them … things like an impressive offensive debut from big man Ben Hendriks, an unbelievable level of energy from Miryne Thomas and key plays in critical moments from Lucas Kroft and Luke Bumbalough. Among our veterans, Ishmael El-Amin really stood out. Ish has always been one of our hardest working and highest character guys. You could see the development in his game, and his outside shot in particular, last year despite the fact that he missed the bulk of conference play with a hand injury. He took it to another level in Costa Rica, really leading our team in all three games.
Â
Our 2018 campaign ended on a sour note, and it left a bitter taste for many of us that we are all eager to get rid of. Although we fought to the end, we did not find the answers we were searching for through the season. The end of the year results fell far below the standards we expect from each other and you expect from us. Our entire team has been very dedicated all spring and summer to get us back on the winning track.
Â
While it is not in my nature to make bold promises, I will tell you that I love our team and am very optimistic about our chances. We are returning 8 of our top 10 players and are adding six new faces to the roster that bring a blend of talent and much needed shooting. Competition throughout the summer has been intense. It is, by a significant margin, the deepest team I have coached in my time at Ball State.Â
Â
As always, we are thankful for your continued support of our program. We'll see you back inside Worthen Arena before you know it.
Â
Sincerely,
Â
James Whitford
Â
As we embark this week on practice for the 2019-20 season, I wanted to take a moment to reconnect you with your Ball State men's basketball team. As many of you have seen, we had an exciting summer, highlighted by our trip to Costa RicaÂ
Â
You can see a lot of great videos from our trip right here on ballstatesports.com and on our social media pages. For those like myself who have an allergic reaction to most things social media, I'll do my best to take you through the trip, largely from a cultural perspective but also with a brief takeaway of how I thought we played.
Â
First, a little background. Once every four years, the NCAA permits teams to take a foreign tour during the summertime. You are allowed up to 10 full practices to prepare, offering valuable time in the gym you would otherwise not have. In addition, the trips provide student-athletes a remarkable educational opportunity, something I wanted our team to take full advantage of.
Â
On our last foreign trip in 2015, we took the team to the Bahamas. That trip proved to be very valuable, as our team made a remarkable turnaround from last place in the MAC West in 2014 to co-champs in 2015. But as fruitful as that trip was on the court, and enjoyable away from it, we did not get much of a cultural experience. We stayed at the Atlantis resort and spent the majority of our time either on the resort or in the gym for games and practices.
Â
This summer, we wanted to maintain the benefits of the extra basketball but also give our guys a deeper cultural experience. Costa Rica provided a tremendous opportunity to do just that. We were able to play very good competition, including two games against the University of Ottawa, a top-tier Canadian program. Those games were difficult tests and taught us a lot about ourselves. In addition, we had fun and educational excursions each day, which I am excited to share about in more detail …
Â
Costa Rica – Pura Vida
The Spanish phrase "Pura Vida" is the common refrain that echoes throughout Costa Rica. Its literal translation in English is "Pure Life," but it is used to express any number of things … hello, goodbye, thank you, you're welcome … almost any kind of passing greeting. I'm one of many who came home with a t-shirt proclaiming "Pura Vida" as a reminder of our time there.
Â
The phrase also describes the beauty and cleanliness of the country, two things Costa Ricans are extremely proud of. They're also very proud of their agricultural history, specifically as it relates to their world-famous coffee production, although our guides were quick to inform us the largest chunks of their economy these days come from tourism, medical supplies and computer microchips.
Â
But back to the country's beauty … It was on full display on our first full day when we visited La Paz Waterfall Gardens. What a great way to begin our trip after our long travels the day before. We had relatively few bumps from our flights with the exception of a minor eye infection. Note to all: Remove your contacts if sleeping all day on a plane! Just ask Blake Huggins.
Â
As amazing as the views of the natural waterfalls and the rainforest we hiked were the animals that call La Paz home.They all could not survive on their own in the wild either because they had previously been pets or they had been injured. But they had large cages and were treated well. They ranged from toucans to snakes to jaguars. There was also a butterfly sanctuary where you could actually see butterflies emerging from their cocoons and flying into the wild for the first time (takes only about 20 minutes… amazing!).
Monkeys ?
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) August 1, 2019
Sloths ?
Jungle Cats ?
Toucans ?
Waterfalls ?
The Cards had a pretty amazing morning yesterday at one of Costa Rica's premiere nature sanctuaries/rescues and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens!#WeFly l #ChirpChirp pic.twitter.com/UNsn4t9Wxq
An Emotional Connection
Really the most important aspect of the trip from my perspective was for our guys to come away with an understanding of what life is like outside the comforts of our home here in the United States. There are vast portions of this world that are not nearly as fortunate as we are, and it is important for our guys to see that firsthand.
Â
And on the third day of our trip, we were blessed to visit an orphanage and social services center run by a Catholic priest and hundreds of volunteers in the heart of San Jose. One of our guides told us that in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, where the vast majority of the country's population lives, there are an average of 2,600 people per square mile! And while some of the people there are well-to-do, the majority are not.Â
Â
The orphanage houses children with either no parents or parents who are going through tough times. The mission also has a homeless shelter that provides housing, food and shelter, serving almost 1,500 meals a day to anyone who wants to come. We toured the shelter and then spent a couple hours playing with the young children on their soccer field and walking them through a small zoo on the church's grounds. They were probably all younger than 5 years old. It was, as you can imagine, moving beyond belief. I still get emotional thinking about it.Â
Â
We were guided by this amazing woman who has dedicated her life to helping all those who need her. She is filled with optimism and joy and seems to truly enjoy her work, all of which is volunteer. She shared that she was once an illegal immigrant in the United States. She lived in New York City from age 18 to 30 and met a fellow Costa Rican whom she married. She and her husband eventually relocated back to their home country. They make a good enough living that she can afford to work for free at the shelter. In a very elegant way, she connected the dots for our guys about the challenges of life in Central America and why people like her have tried to migrate to the United States. She is one of the most amazing people I can ever remember meeting.
Â
As a coach of a large group of young people, I watched with great pleasure as our players interacted with the little kids. They were blowing bubbles with the youngest ones, kicking soccer balls and throwing frisbees with others. The kids screamed with delight as these giants playfully chased them around the field. Our guys picked them up, hugged them, carried them around. I think they had as much fun as the little ones. As much as everyone enjoyed themselves, I think our guys realized our time there was just a short snapshot. Many of these children will face difficulties because of the hand they have been dealt. Life will not be easy for a large number of them despite the love and care they are receiving right now.Â
Â
Our guys were exposed to something they had likely only heard about through social media and a few media platforms. The potential immigrants they hear about every day were right in front of us. It really put a face and a human connection to the story. It was one of those educational experiences you can't learn from a book or in a classroom … and it made the entire trip.
Â
"If you don't come out of your comfort and find out what is out there, it's hard for you to give ... and give yourself."
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) August 6, 2019
Our last video from our trip to Costa Rica takes a look back at the team's visit to Holy Spirit Orphanage.#WeFly l #ChirpChirp pic.twitter.com/NctqK2zLtO
The City and the Beach
We also thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of our Costa Rican cultural experience … our tour of San Jose, our visit to the popular Crocodile Bridge, our trip to the beach and our ziplining excursion through the jungle (upside down for those among us who were not faint of heart). As part of our San Jose tour, a fellow adopted Hoosier took us inside the National Stadium, site of the biggest soccer matches in the country and home to the national teams.Â
Â
These days, Mauricio Ortiz Ortiz is the newly-appointed Costa Rican ambassador to Canada (we met him at our first game against the University of Ottawa). But amazingly, back in the late 1970s, he played basketball as an exchange student just up the road at Huntington North High School. Mauricio spoke of the ways in which his year in Indiana impacted his life in a positive way and shared some of his stories with us. He talked about the Statue of Liberty and the powerful impact it had on him as a boy. Then he took a few minutes to chat with a couple of our Fort Wayne guys, Kyle Mallers and Brachen Hazen, about his memories of living in the area and of Hoosier Hysteria.
Â
We then toured the local opera house and walked a few blocks to a local market where we shopped for souvenirs and gifts for friends and family. My own kids, who were with us, were able to buy "unofficial" Costa Rican national team soccer jerseys for $10. (We later saw them on sale at the airport for $130!). Our beach trip was to Jaco Beach on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Along with the ziplining, we played an intense team volleyball match in the hotel pool and recuperated from our three games in three days before heading back home.
Â
The trip was incredible, and I felt particularly blessed to have been able to open our guys up to new experiences that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. Watching our players grow and develop from opportunities like these is one of the deepest joys I personally receive from coaching.
Â
The Cards had an incredible visit with an incredible message from Ambassador Ortiz this morning at the Estacio Nacional de Costa Rica!#CardsInCostaRica l #WeFly pic.twitter.com/vejxCnV4N8
— Ball State Basketball (@BallStateMBB) August 2, 2019
The Basketball
Each of our first three full days in Costa Rica, we played a game at the end of the day's excursions. The first game was against a Costa Rican national team. The second and third were both against the University of Ottawa. Ottawa, in particular, gave us a very difficult test. They are well-coached and have a long tradition of winning within Canada. They even beat Indiana on its 2014 summer tour.Â
Â
We won all three games, and I was particularly pleased with the grit and togetherness our players demonstrated. We got down early, played everybody regardless of the score and were forced to deal with some adversity. The way our team responded showed me some things about our character that I felt were, and will be, very valuable for us throughout the year.
Â
It was exciting to see our three freshmen and our three redshirts from last year play for the first time. We saw good things from each of them … things like an impressive offensive debut from big man Ben Hendriks, an unbelievable level of energy from Miryne Thomas and key plays in critical moments from Lucas Kroft and Luke Bumbalough. Among our veterans, Ishmael El-Amin really stood out. Ish has always been one of our hardest working and highest character guys. You could see the development in his game, and his outside shot in particular, last year despite the fact that he missed the bulk of conference play with a hand injury. He took it to another level in Costa Rica, really leading our team in all three games.
Â
"Thought our guys really competed and had some good chemistry."
— Ball State Sports (@BallStateSports) August 3, 2019
"Intensity was high."@BallStateMBB finished out its gameplay in Costa Rica last night with another win over UOttawa.
A couple more days in the rainforest and then back to Muncie! pic.twitter.com/whBu8boMrU
Our 2018 campaign ended on a sour note, and it left a bitter taste for many of us that we are all eager to get rid of. Although we fought to the end, we did not find the answers we were searching for through the season. The end of the year results fell far below the standards we expect from each other and you expect from us. Our entire team has been very dedicated all spring and summer to get us back on the winning track.
Â
While it is not in my nature to make bold promises, I will tell you that I love our team and am very optimistic about our chances. We are returning 8 of our top 10 players and are adding six new faces to the roster that bring a blend of talent and much needed shooting. Competition throughout the summer has been intense. It is, by a significant margin, the deepest team I have coached in my time at Ball State.Â
Â
As always, we are thankful for your continued support of our program. We'll see you back inside Worthen Arena before you know it.
Â
Sincerely,
Â
James Whitford
Players Mentioned
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