After adding a pair of versatile guards this spring, the Ball State men's basketball team added some size in transfer Mickey Pearson. The 6-7 forward will join the Cardinals this year after spending two seasons at TCU, and he will come to BSU with four years of remaining eligibility. 

"We're really excited to add Mickey to our group," Ball State head men's basketball coach James Whitford said. "We recruited Mickey very hard out of high school, and the relationship formed with him during that time helped both Mickey and our staff be very comfortable in recruiting him the second time around. He is a terrific young man, comes from a great family and is a high-character and hard-working young man."

Pearson, from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, redshirted as a true freshman in 2019-20 and played in 19 games last season before coming back to the Midwest. He is described as a versatile player who can rebound and guard multiple positions. He can score inside and out, and the Cardinals coaching staff sees him being able to attack mismatches with his versatile style of play. 

"On the court, Mickey is very talented with a bright future," Whitford said. "He has great length and athleticism and a reputation for being an elite defender. His style defensively reminds me of former Cardinal Tahjai Teague. He is physical and long enough to defend inside, and yet has the quickness and technique to guard smaller guards away from the basket. Offensively, Mickey's versatility is his greatest strength.  He's an excellent 3-poijnt shooter, can put the ball on the floor and finish at the rim. He has a chance to be an outstanding player during his time in Muncie."

Prior to his time at TCU, Pearson played a season at powerhouse prep school Hargrave Military Academy. Playing on a team with 11 Division I players on it, he averaged 11.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg and made 49 3-pointers. That Hargrave team, which had former Muncie Central star Tommy Freeman on the staff as an assistant, went 38-4 during Pearson's year.

Pearson played his high school ball at John Hardin in Kentucky, where he was two-time area player of the year and was a finalist for 2018 Kentucky Mr. Basketball. He played on the 2018 Kentucky All-Star team that beat Indiana to snap Kentucky's 17-game losing streak in the series.

In addition to Pearson, the Cardinals also added transfers Tyler Cochran and DeMarius Jacobs. Ball State also has three incoming true freshmen arriving this season in Jaylin Sellers, Payton Sparks and Basheer Jihad.