MUNCIE — The Chris Capko era of Ball State basketball has officially begun.
Ball State introduced Capko to the Muncie community as the school’s next basketball coach with his introductory news conference Tuesday. The Ball State Alumni Center was standing room only as it was packed with fans, alumni, administrators, fellow coaches and former basketball players who all wanted to get a glimpse of the next man in charge of the Cardinals.
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As Capko looked out into that crowd, he found himself blown away once again by the support he’s seen, heard and felt since the news broke.
“It’s been amazing,” Capko said. “Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of who would show up and who wouldn’t, but to have a room full of support, standing room only room, it’s been amazing. To go with social media, the amount of people who have reached out, who have said congratulations, it’s been incredible. I’ve been blessed and fortunate, and I’m so happy to be here.”
Capko was introduced by Ball State president Geoffrey Mearns and athletic director Jeff Mitchell. During Mitchell’s opening remarks, he walked fans through the process that led the administration to land on Capko. According to Mitchell, 45 candidates were formally vetted through the university’s process. That pool was then narrowed down to 16, then 10, and finally three.
“Called by many as ‘Cap,’ he repeatedly offered me glimpses of how organized, knowledgeable, connected and eager he is,” Mitchell said. “As we have visited more over the past several days, I am confident his detailed approach to roster construction, staff construction and his preparation to play an exciting brand of basketball in this new age of intercollegiate athletics and college basketball.”
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After the news conference, Capko spoke to the media and provided some updates on the assembly of his staff and roster. He has been in touch with all current Ball State players either in person or virtually, including those who have announced their intentions to explore the transfer portal. Capko highlighted Davion Hill as a primary target for retention; Hill announced his plans to enter the portal the day after the Cardinals’ season finale.
In terms of the roster construction, Capko expressed a desire to play “free-flowing” basketball — similar to what his mentor Andy Enfield ran as the head coach of Florida Gulf Coast’s “Dunk City” era — that can score at a high level.
“When you watch one of our teams, I want you to see a team out there that can score,” Capko said. “I think the way the game has shifted … people can really score the ball, and there’s no better example than Miami (Ohio). You do have to defend, but if you want to get to a certain echelon, you’ve got to be able to score the ball too, so when you watch our teams, hopefully we’re playing a brand that allows you to get up and get down.”
Ball State basketball coach Chris Capko speaks at his introductory press conference on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
Capko mentioned that he wanted good shooters at all five spots and that he always wants a true point guard on the floor who can make good decisions and make his teammates better as a pass-first guard.
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As for his staff, Capko has already hired a director of operations and a director of analytics and game strategy. The latter — Ellis Spar — was present at the news conference. Spar spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Providence after three years as a student manager at USC where he first connected with Capko.
Capko also said that he has hired his first assistant coach and hinted at another possibility who may be of serious interest to Ball State fans.
“Pershin Williams has come from Georgia Tech,” Capko said. “Him and I worked together at Georgia Southern, and Pershin was actually on staff with Bonzi Wells last year, so we’re trying to get Bonzi back into the program as well.”
In addition to the last three years at Georgia Tech, Williams has been an assistant coach at Kennesaw State and Columbus State University, his alma mater. Capko said he had three more assistant coach spots to fill and planned to take his time doing so.
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In Capko’s closing remarks to the crowd, he told a story about his first official meeting with Mitchell, which took place in Dayton as Capko prepared to coach SMU in the First Four.
“When we left our first meeting, he had asked me, ‘Why not Ball State?'” Capko said. “As I did my research and I read everything around the program, everything around the players that were here in the past, this year’s team, and I thought of my conversation with president Mearns, I realized he was right. Why not Ball State? Why not us? Why not now? Why not in the future?
“We can be what you guys want this program to be, and I need everybody here to do that.”
Ball State president Geoffrey Mearns (left) and athletic director Jeff Mitchell (right) present new Ball State basketball coach Chris Capko with a framed jersey at Capko’s introductory press conference on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@usatodayco.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Ball State basketball coach Chris Capko staff, roster recruiting, offense
