WATERLOO, Ont. - Ben Stevens' (BA '22) professional journey has reached the international level with a call-up to represent Ireland this summer.

The Golden Hawks men's basketball alum has been named to Ireland basketball's roster for an upcoming exhibition against Armenia on June 27 in Los Angeles, along with FIBA EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualifiers against North Macedonia on July 2 and Azerbaijan on July 5.

Ireland enters the window sitting fourth in Group A with a 1-3 record, following a narrow 76-75 loss to Azerbaijan and a 91-85 victory over Luxembourg in March.

For Stevens, the selection marks a significant milestone in his professional career.

"I've been talking to head coach Michael Bree for about a year now since I got my Irish passport and, to finally get the call up to play for the national team for this summer window, I was beyond excited," Stevens said.

Stevens said his connection to Ireland runs deep within his family.

"My Granny and Granda were born in Northern Ireland in Belfast and I actually spent some time growing up with them as a kid in Toronto, and I think that's just made me even closer to my roots," he said. "For my family, especially my grandparents, it's definitely a proud moment."

The 27-year-old centre from Halifax, N.S., enjoyed his best statistical season with the Golden Hawks in 2022-23, averaging 10.3 points and 9.1 rebounds in 22 games. Stevens finished among the Ontario University Athletics leaders that season, ranking in the top 10 in offensive, defensive and total rebounds, as well as field goal percentage.

Listed at 6'10" and 234 pounds, Stevens is now in his fourth year as a professional, having competed across Europe, Australia, Asia and North America.

His resume includes stops in Germany (ProA), North Macedonia, the Czech Republic, Australia's NBL1, Azerbaijan, Mongolia and the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).

Currently with the Montreal Alliance of the CEBL, Stevens is in his second season with the club and has appeared in 10 games this year. Last year, he earned Team Defensive Player of the Year while leading the Alliance in rebounding.

Across 128 career professional games before the start of the current campaign with Montreal, he has averaged 10.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 25.0 minutes per contest, adding 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.