ABA alum Ben Krikke recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference

ABA alum Ben Krikke is being recognized for his success in the classroom.

The Valparaiso University sophomore as part of this week’s State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, which was announced on December 16.

A native of Edmonton, Krikke owns a 3.71 cumulative grade point average in Valpo’s College of Business at the Indiana-based school. On the court, he is averaging 10.2 points and 3.2 rebounds this season as a starter for the Crusaders men’s basketball team.

Additionally, Krikke is a member of Valpo’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and also volunteered his time around the Valparaiso community, serving at the school’s Special Needs Basketball Camp and Valpo Basketball’s Annual Community Christmas Party as well as at the Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Indiana.

“We are happy for Ben but not surprised that he is being noticed and his efforts highlighted,” says Paul Sir, ABA’s Executive Director, “He is a great student and player, and has worked hard to get to this point but is only scratching the surface of his potential.”

Krikke spent four years with Alberta Basketball’s provincial teams. He was a two-time all-star at the Canada Basketball National Championships (2016 15U Second Team and 2018 17U Second Team) and won a silver medal with Team Alberta at the 2017 Canada Summer Games.

He graduated in 2019 from Jasper Place, where he helped the Rebels win both the city and provincial titles in his Grade 12 year and was named MVP and won the slam dunk contest at the 2019 Alberta Basketball All-Star Showcase. He has represented his country on multiple occasions, including the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup and won silver with Team Canada at the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Championship.