The Ball State men’s basketball team landed their first recruit for the incoming freshman class in point guard Ishmael El-Amin.
After visiting campus last weekend, El-Amin, a 6’3’, 165-pound point guard from Hopkins High School in Minetonka, Minnesota, verbally committed to Ball State on Sept. 26.
ESPN.com and Rivals.com both ranked El-Amin as a 3-star point guard for the Class of 2017. El-Amin also had offers from Tennessee State and the University of Nebraska Omaha.
With the release of his YouTube video “I’ma Tell You My Story,” Ishmael El-Amin became the first high school senior recruit to verbally commit to Ball State this year.
In his senior season, El-Amin contributed to a 31-1 overall record, a 14 overall national team ranking and a state championship at Hopkins High School. The point guard averaged 14.9 points per game throughout the season.
El-Amin’s father, Khalid El-Amin, was a college standout at the University of Connecticut. Khalid was part of the 1999 University of Connecticut team that upset Duke University in the NCAA national championship game.
Ball State did not have a true point guard in the 2015-16 season. It rotated among guards Francis Kiapway, Jeremie Tyler, Naiel Smith and Jeremiah Davis.
With the addition of Northern Kentucky transfer Tayler Persons and 2017 commit Ishmael El-Amin, the Cardinals have shown the importance of locking up guard play.
Being 6 foot 3 inches tall, the length of Ishmael El-Amin allows him to effectively play the point guard and shooting guard positions.
El-Amin cannot officially commit until he signs the dotted lines come November.
