From NAIA to the Final Four: Ben Humrichous leapfrogs to college basketball’s biggest stage

Tonight, graduate senior forward Ben Humrichous will take the floor on the nation’s biggest stage as Illinois prepares to play in its sixth Final Four with a shot at the program’s first ever National Championship on the line.

Humrichous’ journey to Indianapolis is about as unique as any you’ll find on the court this weekend, a path less traveled by your average high-major recruit. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged back in 2020, he was an under-recruited 6-foot-9 big man who was already showing flashes of his unique skillset at the NAIA level.

Current Oral Roberts associate head coach Kory Alford said he felt like he walked into a diamond in the rough after being hired as head coach of Huntington amidst the national chaos.

“I took over the Huntington job during COVID, and Ben had actually signed to Huntington,” Alford told Mid-Major Madness. “During the re-recruitment process, he was one that stood out on film as being extremely exciting. A guy with that kinda size that played weirdly out of position, it was a very unique prospect for us.”

That combination of size, versatility and being under-recruited during the pandemic allowed Humrichous the opportunity to start right away as a freshman under a first-year head coach in Alford.

When basketball returned for the 2020-21 season, he started 27 games for the Foresters and averaged 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest to help lead a 16-win season.

Humrichous’ parents believed their son might redshirt upon arriving at Huntington, Alford recalled. Instead he started literally every game for the program in just his first season at the college level.

“I remember having a conversation with his dad after the first year,” Alford said. “He made an interesting comment and said, ‘Actually, going into the year, I thought Ben would redshirt.’ I think overall, his positional size and versatility is what allowed him to make an impact right away. But he just wasn’t consistent early on. He would show flashes, but teams would guard him a lot of different ways because of the type of player he is.”

Undoubtedly, there was a learning curve. But Humrichoius steadily improved over the next two years under Alford’s guidance.

As a sophomore, his averages rose to 11.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, finding new ways to evolve on the court. Those numbers again jumped to 12.8 points and 1.8 blocks per game as a junior to lead the Foresters to 24 wins.

In just three seasons with Huntington, Humrichous climbed the record books with 1,083 points and now sits as the program’s 46th leading scorer all-time. But there were always bigger things ahead for the Tipton, Ind., native.

“We got to campus, and I think he was a young man who was struggling with confidence and trying to figure out where he fits in and where he’s best at,” Alford said. “But deep down, he had a belief and a dream of playing Division-I basketball and there were a lot of people around him that believed in him. I think you can see why he had all the potential in the world.”

Alford, the son of Nevada head coach Steve Alford, did everything in his power to keep Humrichous at the NAIA level.

“When my dad came around camp, did I not want him to watch Ben workout? Yes, sure,” Kory said.

But when the bigger programs finally discovered Humrichous’ talent, it was always going to be a challenge to keep him at Huntington. He eventually opted to stay local and committed to join Evansville, led by head coach David Ragland, and he provided an instant spark for the Purple Aces.

For Ragland, he remembers facing Huntington in a preseason scrimmage where Humrichous caught everybody’s attention.

“We were fortunate enough to be able to play against him so we got a chance to watch his game and break it down prior to [recruiting] him,” Ragland said. “Huntington is a really good program for sure, really good team with good coaches. We were just impressed by his ability to shoot, his athleticism.”

If it wasn’t easy to see Humrichous’ talent already, it sure was in his lone year with Evansville. After just five wins in Ragland’s first season at the helm, that number grew to 17 in year two with Humrichous’ addition.

He went on to finish as the Purple Aces leading scorer with 14.7 points on 41% from three and was selected to the Missouri Valley Conference’s All-Newcomer team for the 2023-24 campaign.

Going from NAIA recruit to Division-I mid-major starter was impressive in its own right, but Humrichous’ next leap was unprecedented, save for Dalton Knecht.

During the 2024 offseason, he once again entered the portal and took another step up the college basketball ladder with a high-major opportunity at Illinois.

He averaged 7.6 points in his first season with the Illini and played a key role, starting 26 out of 35 games and helping lead the program to a fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

But as Illinois fell short with a second-round exit in 2025’s rendition of March Madness, Humrichous opted to return with a sixth year of eligibility.

As the Illini won 28 games in 2025-26, Humrichous was right there along for the ride. He dropped 21 points in a season opening win over Jackson State just to remind the world of his scoring prowess and was clutch in conference play with double-digit performances against Wisconsin, USC and UCLA.

As Humrichous and Co. made their awaited NCAA Tournament return, he added 12 points and shot 4-for-9 from the field in a first-round win over Penn.

Now, he finds himself on the biggest stage this sport has to offer: The Final Four. It’s a credit to his work ethic, to the intellectual basketball mind that Alford and Ragland both speak about in the highest regard.

Humrichous wasn’t always the best player, the prototypical big man, but he’s unique and his journey from Huntington to Evansville to Illinois mirrors that.

Reflecting back on their time with Humrichous, it’s not something either Alford and Ragland could have envisioned. The talent was evident, but it’s a testament to the way he’s continued to grow and the way he’s adapted in the transfer portal era of college basketball.

The stage might be big and the lights bright, but both head coaches are confident the journey has prepared Humrichous for the moment.

“I would be lying if I said I thought this was in his future,” Alford said. “Fortunately for Ben, a lot of things have changed that’s allowed this to happen. But I couldn’t be more proud and happy for the kid to get to end his career where he’s at.”

“As we spent more time with him we knew he had a great opportunity to play at the highest level,” Ragland said. “With his skillset and his level of professionalism, being about the little things, it was never out of the realm of opportunity. The ones that make it really embrace being a star in their role. So very proud of him and excited to hopefully see him win it all.”