When Michael Lewis first spoke to Ball State redshirt senior center Ben Hendriks, it was via a phone call in March of 2022, when he was first hired as the Ball State men’s basketball head coach.
The now third-year Cardinals’ coach was sitting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania waiting to help coach UCLA in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament. He remembers the conversation vividly.
“He just wanted to be a part of this, and I wasn't going to take away that opportunity from him regardless of what his past performance was or injuries were,” Lewis said. “I wanted all those guys to have a clean slate when I came in, and from the day that I've come in, he's just worked.”
Hendriks — who was coming off of a shoulder injury — was worried that Lewis wouldn’t want him to return to the program. Three years later, the Canadian is still in Muncie and is the longest-tenured player on the team.
To him, leaving Ball State has never been in the cards. It’s never even crossed his mind.
“I didn't feel any need to leave the team, nor have I in the past couple of years,” Hendriks said. “I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.”
His first sport wasn’t basketball; It was hockey. But being tall since he was a kid in his hometown of Mississauga, Ontario, injuries started to pile up as taking hockey sticks to the knees took a toll. There was one instance that solidified the decision to quit playing on the ice.
“I went to chase a puck that went into the corner and didn't see his guy on the guy,” Hendriks said. “He took my legs out … and I woke up on the side of the ice. They were like, ‘Yeah, you knocked yourself out.’”
After giving up the skates and pads, he focused on his second sport; basketball. The Hendrik family was no stranger to the court as his parents, Rob and Leslie, played college basketball. After playing for The Orangeville Prep and CIA Bounce — one of Canada’s best AAU programs — he realized he wasn’t too bad at the game.
After competing in a tournament his senior year, Ben was contacted by Ball State assistant coach Ben Botts. He was offered a scholarship right then and there.
“I got a call after one [our] tournaments,” Ben said. “Coach Botts said, ‘We'd like to offer you a scholarship to Ball State.’ It was the first time I ever talked to them.”
There were some culture shocks when he first moved to the United States. Though he had been in the country a plethora of times, living here was different. His first trip to Walmart was memorable as he saw a man carrying a gun on his hip in the check-out line.
According to AdvocateDaily, Canadian law states you cannot openly carry a gun and have to have a special license or a reason to have the weapon. But in the United States, that is not the case.
“I didn't understand the whole open carry [law],” Ben said. “... I was in the checkout line and sort of terrified.”
But to get through some of the adjustments in his 2019-20 freshman season, he looked up to multiple teammates. Former Cardinals like Miryne Thomas were someone who took Ben under their wing.
“He was awesome. When I first got here, he invited me into his apartment,” Ben said. “We hung out a lot. He was really good at introducing me to people and it was awesome. Everybody followed suit after that.”
Now, Ben is considered one of the guys that other players have looked to for guidance. Redshirt senior forward Mickey Pearson Jr. says he’s never seen his teammate without a smile on his face.
“I've never seen him upset. He’s always smiling, always cracking jokes,” Pearson Jr. said. “I feel like that's important to have around. He's a consistent guy … I [always] know he's gonna work his ass off.”
When Perason Jr. transferred to Ball State ahead of the 2021-22 season, Ben welcomed him with open arms. The two spent a lot of time off the court, which has helped them become more than teammates over the last few seasons.
“Over the years, we've gotten closer,” Pearson Jr. said. “We just hang out and stuff. [He brings] that family environment.”
Even though Ben is said to never get down about anything, there have been difficult times at Ball State throughout his career. Ben’s had multiple injuries during his time in Muncie, he’s seen teammates come and go and he’s been through a coaching change.
Former Ball State head coach James Whitford is someone Ben is still close with and tries to call him on Christmas and other important dates. When Whitford was let go, Ben had no clue as he wasn’t an active person on social media.
“Everybody saw the news the day before because it was leaked,” Ben said. “At the end of the year, he brings us all in, he’s up there [speaking] and something looked a little bit off. He said he was released. I’m looking around at everyone and everyone's already had time to understand. I'm like, ‘Am I the only one that didn't know?’ It was a massive shock to me.”
The recent addition of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) is still something Ben admits he doesn't fully understand, and he really doesn't want to.
“I don't want to say the younger guys like I'm 50 years old or something, but the guys who are coming in … it all goes over my head,” Ben said. “People are talking about signing agents and stuff like that. I'm like ‘I came to college, and I thought we just played basketball.’ But now people are getting millions of dollars and whatnot.”
But given those circumstances, he’s never considered leaving. To Rob, his son has never been the type to run away from an issue.
“He makes a commitment and sticks it out,” Rob said. “It shows his dedication and his appreciation for getting an opportunity. Could there have been better opportunities? I guess, there always is, especially with how the transfer portal works now. But at the end of the day, that’s not who he is.”
Rob owns an outdoor construction company in Canada and is a seasonal worker. This means that during the winter, he attends as many games as he can. With this being Ben’s last year of college basketball, the family is taking every moment with pride.
On Ben’s arm is a tattoo of a Dutch quote that translates to “My family is my strength.” He said his family is a big part of his life and he said he talks to them every day via text, over the phone or on Facetime.
He said he wants to remember everything his parents have given to him.
“The further I got away from my family, the more I realized that the more I talked to them, the better I felt,” Ben said. “I feel like it strengthened not only my resolve to be here and want to play college basketball but also strengthened my relationships with them. I realize that everyone thinks that family is this and that, but once you realize that family is a massive part of yourself, you can realize that’s a massive strength.”
Ben — who is a Computer Science major — has the same mindset. He said he would like to play professionally if possible but also understands that not everyone gets that opportunity. With that in mind, he already has some ‘backup’ plans.
“[I want to] spend some time with my family,” Ben said. “I actually want to do a bit of a backpacking trip. I love going outdoors and I'm a big walking person as well … But after that, I want to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
But whatever comes his way, there’s one thing that is constant — his love for Ball State and Muncie. He said it’s something he’ll never forget.
“I feel like Muncie is pretty similar [to Mississauga],” Ben said. “Of course, there's a rotten apple here and there, but that doesn't mean the whole tree is bad. I feel like Muncie is a great place to be.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
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