MUNCIE, Ind. — It’s clear, looking back at Ball State basketball’s 2019-20 season, that Ishmael El-Amin was coach James Whitford’s leading breakout player.
The then-junior guard, who according to Whitford was playing at under 10 percent body fat for the first time at BSU, earned All-Mid-American Conference recognition for the first time in his career. El-Amin tallied 24 games in which he scored in double digits after doing so just seven times previously at BSU, showcased himself as one of the premier 3-point shooters in the MAC and started all 31 games. And, in Whitford’s opinion, El-Amin was one of the best defenders in the conference as well.