
Episode #1
Meet Chris Capko, The New Men's Basketball Coach at Ball State U., IN
CHRIS CAPKO BIO 09/02/26 @ 4:00 PM EST BASKETBALL NEXUS COURTCAST Date: Wednesday, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2026 Time: 4:00 PM EST Capko is currently the head coach for the Ball State Cardinals men's basketball team in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), a position he began in 2026. Coach Capko joins the list of outstanding Ball State University men’s basketball coaches, including: Branch McCraken Steve Yoder Ray McCallum Dick Hunsaker Rick Majerus Key Points from the Webpage: Early Life: Capko is from Lakeland, Florida, where he was a standout point guard at Kathleen Senior High School, led his team to a state championship, and set the school assists record. College Career: He played college basketball as a walk-on for the Florida Gators (2002–03) and then for the South Florida Bulls (2003–07), where he eventually became a starting point guard and team captain. He graduated from South Florida with a degree in mass communication and later earned a master's degree from Marshall University. Coaching Career: Began as a graduate assistant at Marshall (2008–09). Served as assistant coach at Stetson (2009–11), Georgia Southern (2011–13), and FIU (2015–16). Worked at USC as director of basketball operations (2013–15) and then as an assistant coach (2016–24), helping recruit top talent and develop future NBA players. Became associate head coach at SMU (2024–26) before being hired as head coach at Ball State in 2026. Coaching Achievements: At USC, Capko contributed to eight consecutive top-30 recruiting classes and coached several players who went on to the NBA, including Bronny James, Evan Mobley, Isaiah Collier, and Onyeka Okongwu.



