With any sport, freshmen need time to adapt as they make the jump from high school to college.
For Zeke Chapman and Aaron Adeoye, they're past that stage and the season hasn't even begun.
Credit belongs to the two freshmen's readiness to Ball State's trip to Canada over the summer.
"In Canada, I just got more comfortable with the level of basketball that I'm playing at now," Adeoye said. "Just knowing the tendencies of my teammates and getting more experience under my belt [helped]."
Off the court, Adeoye said the trip was big for him because he learned what his teammates do outside of basketball, which in return brought them even closer.
The Cardinals went a 4-0 over the summer in a span of nine days with an average margin of victory of 31.5 points per game.
Chapman outlined the importance of the trip and how playing four games with his new teammates before the season even started greatly influenced his overall transition to Ball State.
"[Canada] was great because our team got to bond and get closer," Chapman said. "Those four games really helped us to gauge where we're at as a team."
Fifth year head coach Billy Taylor saw his two freshmen grow over the summer, and said that unlike other years, Chapman and Adeoye won't need to learn on the fly, which is a luxury the Cardinals haven't had the last couple seasons.
"They can learn and understand their roles – how they can help the team in what I would say is a little bit less pressurized situation," he said.
Although they're both comfortable with Taylor's system and the rest of the team, Chapman and Adeoye said the nerves were definitely there when first meeting the team just a couple months ago.
"Going into a new team is always a little awkward, but these guys have definitely taken me in and it's a great group of guys," Chapman said.
For Adeoye, it was much of the same.
"There is always going to be nerves the first time you meet somebody," Adeoye said with a smile. "But they've accepted me well, and they're like family."
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