top of page

Ben Strong

Ben Strong

Red Lake Band of Ojibwe

Induction Category:

Year Inducted

Athlete/Coach

Ben Strong is a member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe. His parents are Edward Strong and Sarah Haskett.

Strong is a retired professional basketball player and former coach. He grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. After graduating from Chapel Hill High School in 2004, he enrolled at Guilford College (ODAC Conference), an NCAA Division III school in Greensboro, North Carolina. He left Guilford ranked second all-time in scoring (2231) as well as in blocked shots (236) and seventh all-time in rebounding (927). During his time at Guilford he received individual awards, among those are the following: two-time First-Team Division III All-American, NCAA Division III Player of the Year, three-time First Team All-ODAC, and two-time ODAC Player of the Year. In 2007, he was a NABC First Team All-American (Co-Player of the Year) and a D3hoops.com First Team All-American (Player of the Year).

Strong launched his professional career in 2008 with Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Premier League. He also played briefly in the Netherlands, Uruguay, and New Zealand. After playing overseas, he took his game to the NBA Development League, playing for various teams. Then in 2016, Strong played in the NBA Summer League for the New York Knicks.

Throughout his career, Strong coached youth during summer camps in the Red lake community, as well as some communities on the east coast, where he lived and eventually started his coaching career. In 2016 when he retired from playing, Strong began working as an assistant men's basketball coach at Huntingdon College, before joining the Philadelphia 76ers’ staff as a player development specialist in 2018, then the Phoenix Suns' staff as a player development coach in 2019. In 2021, Strong was hired by the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League to serve as their head video coordinator and player development coach.

In 2022, Strong was inducted into Guilford College's Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2025, Strong was also named to ODAC's Inaugural Hall of Fame class.

In 2022, Strong retired from coaching to relocate back to NC. He now lives with his wife Lauren and son Fox.

bret.JPG
bret.JPG

© 2023 by TheHours. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page