When Ball State men’s basketball head coach Michael Lewis sat down to talk at Thursday’s media availability day, he was open and honest about this year’s Cardinals.

“The challenge for not only us, but I think everybody in the country, is can you get those [new] pieces to fit together,” Lewis said. “Obviously, there's a high level of excitement from what we were able to bring in… [The goal] is to ultimately see if we can fit everything together to be the absolute best version of ourselves, whatever that is for this team.”

Throughout the morning, players took the court in Worthen Arena for pictures and interviews. Here are three takeaways from the event.

Lewis learned from last year’s mistakes

The 2023-24 season did not go the way Lewis envisioned. After losing then-guard Jarron Coleman to the transfer portal right before the season and fighting through multiple injuries on the team, Ball State posted a 15-16 record and missed the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

During his availability, Lewis talked about wanting to improve and build a roster to combat issues from recurring.

“We take a great deal of pride in our player development program here,” he said. “Obviously, we feel like guys get better in our program and I think that is reflective of where some guys that have been a part of our program have ended up.

“We spend all summer and all fall developing the individual and now, starting on Monday, we're into developing a team with one goal.”

Ben Hendriks received his flowers

The oldest Cardinal on the roster received high praise from Lewis. Throughout last season, the redshirt senior center dealt with injuries and still found ways to perform for Ball State.

Coming into this season, there was one goal on his mind: to get better.

“[I put] a lot of [muscle] on and tried to fine-tune my body,” Hendriks said. “Just getting ready for the season by conditioning and just being bigger, faster and stronger.”

While he believes he took the right steps to do those things, his head coach assured everyone that was indeed the case.

“I think you're going to see a very different Ben, just from how he looks physically,” Lewis said. “I think I gained a ton of respect from him last year, playing through the things he played through and his willingness to do whatever it took.

“But I think he's gonna just physically look very different. He looks like an adult male.”

Payton Sparks is back

While the former MAC Freshman of the Year was not available due to an excused ‘prior engagement,’ his presence was felt during the event. According to Lewis and multiple Cardinals, his return has influenced the team’s first three official practices.

Before playing for Indiana University last season, Sparks averaged 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds as a freshman and 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in his sophomore season with Ball State. Though Lewis likes Sparks’ play, he enjoys his off-the-court spirits even more.

“To bring someone back like that is good,” Lewis. “…But his impact on our program is much bigger because of the person he is, not just basketball. How he handles himself off the court and his work ethic makes him who he is.”

Ball State is still multiple weeks away from their first game against Georgia State Nov. 4, but the team’s atmosphere is one of positivity. It’s something Lewis expects to only grow during the year.

The Ball State Daily News’ in-depth 2024-25 season preview will be released Oct. 31.

Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X @ZachCarter85.

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