Team Alberta alum Krikke is headed to Valpo

Team Alberta alum Ben Krikke has committed to Valparaiso University in Indiana, where he will play NCAA Division 1 basketball with the Crusaders beginning in the 2019-20 season.

A six-foot-seven forward from Edmonton, Krikke spent four years with Alberta Basketball’s provincial teams. He is 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.

The Crusaders, who play in the Missouri Valley Conference, have a storied history that includes nine NCAA tournament appearances since 1996. Krikke becomes the third Basketball Alberta alum who will be part of NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball in 2019-20, joining Sabry Philip (entering freshman year at San Diego State) and Aher Uguak (entering junior season at Loyola Chicago, which also competes in the Missouri Valley Conference)

Krikke currently attends Grade 12 at Jasper Place High School in Edmonton, where he helped the Rebels win both the city and provincial titles for 2018-19. He recently played in the BioSteel All-Canadian Game, which featured the top 24 high school players in the country, and on April 9 was named MVP and won the slam dunk contest at the Alberta Basketball All-Star Showcase in Edmonton.

A veteran of international competition, Krikke represented his country at the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup and was part of Team Canada’s silver-medal showing at the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Championship.

Congratulations, Ben!