Mitchell Ballock (born July 2, 1998) is an American basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays.
 Ballock with Creighton in 2019 | |
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 2, 1998 Eudora, Kansas |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Eudora (Eudora, Kansas) |
| College | Creighton (2017–2021) |
| NBA draft | 2021: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2022 | Cleveland Charge |
| 2022–present | Mitteldeutscher BC |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
High school career
editBallock played basketball for Eudora High School in Eudora, Kansas. In his varsity debut, he scored 40 points.[1] As a freshman, he played alongside his older brother, Andrew, and led his team to the Class 4A-II state title.[2] Ballock missed most of his junior season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.[3] As a senior, he averaged 25.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, helping his team reach the Class 4A sub-state title game. Ballock was named Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year.[4] A four-star recruit, he committed to play college basketball for Creighton over offers from Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma, among others.[5]
College career
editOn November 20, 2017, Ballock scored a freshman season-high 22 points in a 100–89 win over UCLA.[6] As a freshman, he averaged 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, earning Big East All-Freshman Team honors.[7] In the following season, Ballock moved into a starting role. On March 9, 2019, he scored a career-high 39 points, shooting 11-of-12 from three-point range, in a 91–78 victory over DePaul. He broke the program record and tied the Big East record for three-pointers in a game, while setting the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) single-game record for three-point percentage with at least 12 attempts.[8] As a sophomore, Ballock averaged 11.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.[9] On January 1, 2020, he scored a junior season-high 24 points in a 92–75 win over Marquette.[10] As a junior, he averaged 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Ballock led Creighton in three-pointers made with 95 and three-point percentage with 43.5 percent.[9][11] He averaged 9.9 points per game as a senior, shooting 38.9 percent from behind the arc. Ballock opted to pursue professional opportunities after the season rather than take advantage of the extra year of eligibility.[12]
Professional career
editAfter going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Ballock joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2021 NBA Summer League.[13] On September 27, 2021, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers,[14] but was waived on October 16.[15] On October 23, he signed with the Cleveland Charge as an affiliate player.[16]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Creighton | 33 | 5 | 21.4 | .421 | .326 | .808 | 2.9 | 1.9 | .7 | .2 | 7.3 |
| 2018–19 | Creighton | 35 | 35 | 33.0 | .455 | .419 | .762 | 4.4 | 3.2 | .8 | .2 | 11.1 |
| 2019–20 | Creighton | 31 | 31 | 36.0 | .439 | .435 | .744 | 5.3 | 3.1 | .8 | .3 | 11.9 |
| 2020–21 | Creighton | 31 | 31 | 33.6 | .435 | .386 | .571 | 3.2 | 2.6 | .9 | .2 | 9.9 |
| Career | 130 | 102 | 30.9 | .439 | .398 | .734 | 3.9 | 2.7 | .8 | .2 | 10.0 | |
Personal life
editBallock's older brother, Andrew, played college basketball for Missouri Southern, Cloud County Community College and Drury.[17] His sister, Emily, ran track for Wichita State before transferring to Pittsburg State, where Ballock's other sister, Megan, and brother, Justin, also ran track.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Nightengale, Bobby (February 21, 2014). "Kin-tested baskets: Ballock brothers push each other, Eudora hoops to success". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ Nightengale, Bobby (March 16, 2014). "Eudora boys take state". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ Gier, Kathleen (September 30, 2015). "Eudora basketball star Mitchell Ballock will miss upcoming season". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ Nyatawa, Jon (March 20, 2017). "Recruiting: Creighton signee named Kansas player of the year; CU target also honored". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ Bedore, Gary (April 28, 2020). "KU versus Creighton in Allen Fieldhouse is a dream matchup for Eudora's Mitch Ballock". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ McDowell, Sam (November 21, 2017). "Mitch Ballock, who chose Creighton over KU, has breakout game in KC". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ Krivanek, Jason (November 10, 2018). "Creighton looks to prove Big East critics wrong". The Reader. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ Nyatawa, Jon (March 10, 2019). "Mitch Ballock breaks school record with 11 3-pointers as Creighton holds off DePaul". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ a b "Mitch Ballock". Creighton University Athletics. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ "Ballock carries Creighton past Marquette 92-75". USA Today. Associated Press. January 1, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ Tait, Matt (April 28, 2020). "Former Eudora High standout Mitch Ballock reflects on weird ending to lost season at Creighton". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ "Creighton 3-point sharpshooter Mitch Ballock 5th starter to leave". NBC Sports. Associated Press. April 16, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ "Ballock & Mahoney Earn NBA Summer League Invites". GoCreighton.com. July 31, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ "Cavaliers Add Four to Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. September 27, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
- ^ "Cavaliers Convert the Contracts of Tacko Fall and RJ Nembhard into Two-way Contracts". NBA.com. October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Cleveland Charge 2021-22 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Andrew Ballock heading to D-II power Drury University". Cloud County CC. April 10, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2020.