CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – Ben Humrichous likely didn’t originally anticipate playing two years for Illinois.

When he committed to the Illini in 2024, Humrichous technically had just one year of eligibility remaining. Then, a ruling passed allowing players who used eligibility in non-NCAA competition to apply for a waiver to obtain an additional year.

Humrichous, a 6-foot-9 forward, began his career at the NAIA level. He played three seasons at Huntington University in Indiana before a season with Evansville. The 2024-25 campaign marked his first season in orange and blue, but not his last.

Humrichous got the extra year approved and will stay in Champaign for the 2025-26 season.

“I had a great year one,” Humrichous said of his decision to stay at Illinois. “I’m surrounded by incredible people, incredible players [and] coaching staff. When I knew that I was going to get my extra year and it just came down to did I want to go professional or stay in college – I knew right away I wanted another round at it.”

He will have a handful of new teammates in round two with the Illini. Illinois brings in two transfers and five freshmen. Included in the newcomers are a handful of players with European backgrounds. Humrichous looks forward to getting to learn more about his international teammates, as he did in 2024-25 with Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley and Tomislav Ivisic.

“I think it’s a joy,” Humrichous said of playing with guys from all around the globe. “It’s a fun thing, that’s a great thing about college basketball is each of my years I’ve been surrounded by different people, different cultures and stuff like that. So, it’s a joy to get to learn – to be able to learn different cultures but also just to learn the game of basketball through the lens of different people… I’m incredible excited for them to get to campus. We’ve got, from what I know, a really hard working group that’s coming in – a bunch of guys that just love the game of basketball.”

Humrichous averaged 7.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for Illinois. 2025-26 will be his sixth and final season of college basketball.