by 
Brady Sallee is human — at least I am pretty sure.
From multiple instances of talking with and interviewing him over the last four years, it is clear that he is the same as all of us. He drinks water, enjoys sports and cares about the people around him.
That last statement can be backed up by former athletes who played for him, the Ball State Athletics staff and, in general, the people around the Ball State community.
But he is different.
He is a basketball coach who stands on another level and is a true guru of the game. Some say he is the best head coach across the mid-major landscape, and you know what, I think they are right.
I have heard people constantly say it over the last two years, and after Ball State women’s basketball defeated Troy in thrilling fashion Saturday, Feb. 7, the Cardinals backed the claim up.
Ball State has been winning this season — a lot — and I do not think many expected how much and the way they would do it.
Look at the 2024-25 season.
Ball State finally got over the hump by taking the Mid-American Conference (MAC) by storm. They captured the regular season title with a 16-2 league record — while going 27-8 overall — and followed that up with the program’s first conference tournament crown since 2009. This put the Cardinals on a national stage as they played in the NCAA Tournament.
But there is a huge difference between that team and this current group.
That championship team was built over a four-year stretch. The core four, including Ally Becky, Marie Kiefer, Alex Richards and Madelyn Bischoff, had time to become the nickname they so rightfully earned.
After the season ended, the majority of that team graduated or transferred, with just three players in senior Tessa Towers and juniors Grace Kingery and Ashlynn Brooke returning.
In the offseason, Ball State acquired nine new athletes, including six freshmen and six international players.
Then, if that was not enough, a brand new starting five was assembled.
But behind new pieces such as senior Bree Salenbien, junior Karsyn Norman, a career year for Towers and contributions from every other Cardinal who has touched the court, they seem like past successful Ball State teams.
This group is now 19-5 and is the No. 2 team in the MAC at 10-1. I truly believe only Sallee could have done this.
After freshman Zhen Verburgt’s game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Cardinals over the Trojans, I asked Sallee what this run says about the group. Before the season, he told us not to expect the same team.
“I didn’t say don’t expect success. I said don’t expect the same team, and we’re not. What we tried to do was go get high-character kids with talent levels and skill sets that fit the way our culture is built,” Sallee said. “We did it right, and we did it from a character standpoint. We got some tremendous people in that locker room. Really, really tremendous people,
“I’m thrilled with that part of it, because they just like to let me coach. And it doesn’t turn into anything it doesn’t need to be. But I think all of us together can go out and perform.”
This right here is it.
I have written about NIL plenty, and so has probably every student sports reporter and professional sports journalist across the nation. Does it get old? Oh, yes. But it needs to be discussed here.
Granted, Sallee has been at Ball State for 14 years and has a resume that includes a 265-155 record, which makes him the most winning coach in the program’s history. The Cardinals have also defeated seven Power Five Schools, which include Purdue, Texas A&M and Pitt. Sallee has led them to eight seasons with 20-plus wins.
In his 36 years of owning the title of head coach, he is 401-265.
But even with his past success, he was still starting at square one ahead of the 2025-26 season. His approach was simple. He did not try to get players who resembled his past stars, and he did not solely aim to recruit talented athletes.
He wanted good people, and in return, the positive results have followed. After Ball State knocked off Troy, Sallee drove that fact home.
“You got two top 70 teams in the net [rankings], so that’s two top 70 teams in the country playing that game in Muncie, right? Not in West Lafayette or Bloomington. It’s in Muncie,” Sallee said. “The crowd shows up, and that is the kind of atmosphere that’s happening in Muncie, in the MAC and in the Sun Belt Conference.
“There are a lot of people, and by people, I mean coaches, who don’t like this MAC-Sun Belt game. I am the exact opposite of that because win or lose, tell me how you don’t get better from that?”
I think he continues to show why the program is where it is, and I also believe it highlights the one flaw NIL has. Some athletes just want a chance to win, and to get them to wear your jersey, you have to prove that your school and team can deliver on that.
Sallee sure as hell has.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
