Former Eudora High standout Mitch Ballock pumped to bring Creighton to Allen Fieldhouse next season

By Matt Tait     May 14, 2020

AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Creighton's Mitch Ballock plays during an NCAA college basketball game against Villanova, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Philadelphia.

By his own admission, former Eudora High standout Mitch Ballock nearly committed to play basketball at Kansas three different times.

During his upcoming senior season at Creighton, Ballock will finally get his chance to play at Allen Fieldhouse.

That matchup was made official on Wednesday, when KU released the nonconference portion of its 2020-21 men’s basketball schedule.

On Dec. 3, Ballock, his Bluejays teammates and what he hopes will be his entire family will make the trip to Lawrence for a regular-season clash between the two Midwest college basketball powers.

“It’ll be surreal,” Ballock told the Journal-World during a recent phone interview. “It’s one of those childhood dreams, you know?”

Nick Krug
Kansas recruits Troy Brown and Mitchell Ballock watch the action during Late Night on Friday, Oct. 10, 2014 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Recruited by KU throughout his standout high school career, Ballock spent dozens of nights inside Allen Fieldhouse, often sitting right behind the KU bench.

“I want to say every time I left the arena I was like, ‘All right, I’m about to commit,'” Ballock said. “But then I had to slow my roll and kind of figure it all out. It’s just that kind of place. It sends chills down your spine, and it’s fun, man.”

To be able to see all of the pomp and circumstance of game night at Allen Fieldhouse as a member of the opponent is something Ballock is looking forward to. Not just because he wants to do everything he can to help his team leave Lawrence with a victory. But also because it will add to the ways he has experienced the historic venue.

“I’m looking forward to that atmosphere,” Ballock said. “I’ve seen it from the stands, and it will be unbelievable to experience it from the court. Just being in there, playing on the opposite bench, will be an unbelievable opportunity and hopefully I can take a moment to soak it all in.”

In 2017, Ballock and the Bluejays played two games in the Hall of Fame Classic at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Several of his friends and family members from Eudora were in attendance as Creighton knocked off UCLA and lost to Baylor.

Chris Duderstadt
Eudora senior Mitchell Ballock drives to the baseline against Truman sophomore Donald Edmondson during the first quarter of the Cardinals' 74-64 victory Monday at EHS. Ballock scored 29 points.

But the former Cardinal still has yet to play a game with his entire family in the building. And he’s hoping the game at Allen Fieldhouse will end that streak.

“I’ve always wanted to play close to home,” he said. “And it’ll be cool to see a lot of my friends and family from back home all be at a game I’m playing in. Hopefully all of my brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews can make the trip over and see a game live.”

Last season, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard led Creighton in both 3-point makes (95) and 3-point percentage (45.3) while averaging 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 31 starts.

One of the last games Ballock attended in Lawrence was KU’s triple-overtime victory over Buddy Hield and Oklahoma in 2016. He’s hoping his next trip will feature similar high-level basketball, with or without the ovation that Hield got from Kansas fans that night.

“Everything they do is second to none,” he said of the Kansas basketball program. “It’s an unbelievable tradition, it’s an unbelievable university and what Coach Self has done with that program is unbelievable. I have a large amount of respect for him.”

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.