{"id":293637,"date":"2026-07-12T03:38:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T03:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/293637\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T03:38:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T03:38:22","slug":"how-can-i-be-the-best-today-ben-humrichous-chasing-nba-dream-in-brooklyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/293637\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018How can I be the best today?\u2019: Ben Humrichous chasing NBA dream in Brooklyn"},"content":{"rendered":"

NBA Summer League<\/a> in Las Vegas is a unique proving ground in professional sports \u2014 part tournament, part showcase \u2014 and it\u2019s packed with players fighting for a shot at their dream: an NBA roster spot. Former Illinois<\/a> forward Ben Humrichous<\/a> is one of them.<\/p>\n

Just months removed from a Final Four run, Humrichous now finds himself navigating life as an Exhibit-10 signee<\/a> with the Brooklyn Nets<\/a>. It\u2019s a situation that comes with the benefits of an NBA franchise and its development system, but no guarantees of what tomorrow could look like. Through that uncertainty, Humrichous is just focusing on what he can control.<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber one, I know God is sovereign; God has a plan for me set out for where it is,\u201d Humrichous said. \u201cMy hope is to play in the NBA. Whether or not that\u2019s here in the NBA, whether it\u2019s in the G League, wherever the Lord has me, I know He will be faithful to what is right in front of me. So a lot of my mind is just how can I be the best today? I\u2019m trusting that God is faithful through all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NBA has never been a promise for Humrichous. From NAIA basketball to playing at mid-major Evansville<\/a>, making it to the league was a dream. Two years at Illinois turned that dream into a reachable goal after Humrichous became a key role player and made it to a Final Four. Humrichous took that momentum after the season and used it to his advantage in his pre-draft process, working out for multiple teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of that (process) was dreaming big, but being realistic,\u201d Humrichous said. \u201cFor a guy like me, my role is very simple, to shoot the ball and play great defense, you know, and be a great teammate. So a lot of that for the draft process was going in and just showcasing that right there. Not trying to be somebody that you\u2019re not, but trying to show what you can do and what you\u2019re about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although he didn\u2019t have the built-in exposure of the Portsmouth Invitational<\/a> or the NBA and G League Draft Combines, Humrichous still had various teams interested when it came down to locking in a deal. Ultimately, the Nets emerged as the best situation for him to kickstart his pro career in the right direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was deciphering where the greatest opportunity would be for myself,\u201d Humrichous said. \u201cBut then, to fit within a team, to fit within an organization where we value the same things. A big part about Brooklyn is the development piece, the commitment to my development \u2026 And then even just the opportunity for the career path, the ability to compete for positions and stuff like that, I felt<\/p>\n

\"\"Former Illini Ben Humrichous plays defense on July 10 at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. (Sahil Mittal<\/a>)<\/p>\n

like Brooklyn was a great place for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Brooklyn, Humrichous got his start in July at the California Classic<\/a> and Las Vegas NBA Summer Leagues. At the California Classic, Humrichous played in two of three games for Brooklyn and impressed with an<\/a> 8-rebound, 15-point performance on 5 of 12 shooting from deep. In his first game in Las Vegas, Humrichous showed off his shooting skill and knack for chasing down boards once again, registering<\/a> 9 points (3 of 5 from three) and 5 rebounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Humrichous\u2019 early flashes of success on both ends of the floor have shown off attributes that the current NBA loves, and playing within an offense at Illinois built off NBA principles only helped that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Illinois runs a very modern NBA-style on offense,\u201d Humrichous said. \u201cI got to sit down with the whole coaching staff (at Illinois); they\u2019re out here in Vegas for a few days \u2026 and talk about some of the schemes that we\u2019re doing. Some of the schemes might be a little bit different, but for the most part, it\u2019s the same ideologies at the top about what we\u2019re trying to do. It\u2019s just, what are we trying to do from the jump or towards the end? I think Illinois prepared me extremely well for this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he moves forward, Humrichous knows that he needs to keep playing to his strengths and playing his role: shooting the ball at a high level, having a high IQ and making effort plays on the glass and defensively. But to solidify a spot at the next level, there are still some points of improvement that will make him a more well-rounded player.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a guy like me, my size, to have some development, like the ability to guard multiple positions defensively, is something that I\u2019m going to continue to work on,\u201d Humrichous said.<\/p>\n

Humrichous will finish out Summer League with Brooklyn before heading to training camp in the fall. From there, he\u2019ll see what happens. It\u2019s something he\u2019s been preparing for over the last two years in Champaign. The lows, the highs, playing a background role or stepping up \u2014 Humrichous is ready to make the most of his opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think one of the great parts of Illinois is it set me up for this stage well,\u201d Humrichous said. \u201cI was able to adapt to whatever was in front of me, and then to just have a simple game where it was just about creating advantages, and then being ready for big moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

@sahil_mittal24<\/p>\n

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