Illini Feel They Have Found Gold In Evansville Transfer Ben Humrichous

Zachary Draves | Jul 11, 2024

Evansville s Ben Humrichous (13) dribbles up court as the University of Evansville Purple Aces play the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Evansville won, 82-51. / MaCabe Brown / Courier & Press / USA

Illini forward Ben Humrichous offers much more than size.

At 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds, he can shoot from many spots on the floor.

He joins the Illini after two stints at Huntington University in Indiana of the NAIA and Evansville.

"Ben is a guy that's been elite shooting, great spacing" said head coach Brad Underwood. "He's got more game than maybe we thought."

Over three seasons at Huntington University, Humrichous led the Foresters to back-to-back NAIA tournaments. In his final two years, he averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and made 114 3-pointers.

But Evansville is where he blossomed.

Last year, Humrichous started in all 24 games, leading the Purple Aces in scoring at 14.7 points per game and was second in rebounding (4.7).

Perhaps his most notable numbers came from beyond the arc. He finished with a team high 53 3-pointers while shooting 41.4 percent.

With the dual threat possibilities, he provides the Illini with inside and outside scoring options. The combo of him with transfer guard Jake Davis gives them two incoming capable shooters.

Both should compete for playing time.

"He's got incredible range," Underwood said of Humrichous. "I think the one thing that always translates no matter what level you're at is shooting. He does it at an extremely high level. I think he's one of the most outstanding shooters that I've coached, maybe the best one that I've seen in my time here."

Zachary Draves is a contributor to IlliniNow. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram @zdraves0633.