Literally Filling the Paint for the Yellow Jackets
By: Bob Sefcik
Andrew Bene
In addition, Bene, who controlled the inside, “paint” area of the court at the high school level learned a couple of very valuable lessons that season.
“I think Andrew found out how physically different the game of college basketball is from the high school level,” said 28-year veteran Yellow Jacket Head Coach Steve Bankson. “The college game is so much quicker and the inside play, especially in the Ohio Athletic Conference is very physical. To Andrew’s credit, he has made some great strides to beocme one of the better post players in the OAC.”
As a freshman, Bene saw action in 11 games and scored 1.5 points and grabbed 1.4 rebounds per game as the Yellow Jackets finished with a school-record 25 wins, had a 25-5 overall record, won both the OAC regular season and OAC Tournament titles and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
The fact that Bene played just 4.7 minutes a game inspired him to want to play more. A lot more. At that point, the 19-year-old freshman also made a promise to himself to get in the weight room and add on the necessary pounds and strength needed to be able to win the battles in the paint.
“Coming in as a freshman, I knew that the players were physically much bigger and stronger,” said Bene, who scored. The tempo was also much faster than high school basketball,” said Bene. “During my freshman year, I decided that I would need to put on some extra muscle in order to be successful in this league.”
He did just that. Following his freshman season, Bene along with the help of his father Bruce Bene, began a lifting program in order to put on some extra pounds. By his sophomore year, Bene had put on nearly twenty pounds of muscle mass and started to turn heads.
“After I started putting more focus on getting bigger, many of my friends were talking about how I had obviously gotten bigger,” added Bene. “I felt like I went from being a scrawny 6’6” post player to being someone that could provide a solid post presence.”
Now, following his junior season at the College, Bene tips the scales at 225 pounds. This extra muscle helped him to a breakout season for the Yellow Jackets as the primary focus in the frontcourt. Bene started all 27 games and averaged 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He also was among the OAC leaders with 40 blocked shots.
Bene also has never forgotten about the players who have mentored him from the beginning. As a freshman, Bene looked up to the likes of eventual 2-time All-American Tori Davis and All-OAC post player Dan Gundert.
“TD [Davis] and Gundy [Gundert] really helped me develop my low post moves and helped me become a tougher player and hopefully into a team-leader,” said Bene, who will go into his senior season in 2008-2009 with 560 career points, 362 rebounds and 58 blocked shots. “Having the opportunity to come into a program and learn from those guys really benefited me in the long run.”
After the graduation of Davis last season, Bene knew he had to step up and become a mentor for the underclassmen. He now spends time with freshmen post players Kyle Rockwell and Jeff Cannan teaching them the skills he was taught by Davis and Gundert. Not only is he teaching the new guys about the game of basketball, but he is helping them develop as students. A lot more than just his weight has changed since his freshman year. Bene has since changed his major from mathematics to criminal justice.
“Basketball is only one of the most important things in my life during season,” said Bene. “The new guys [Rockwell and Cannan] need to realize that there are important things to be done on and off the court. Many of these things start in the classroom and then extend to the court. One of the aspects is your work ethic. The more important one is leadership.”
“Andrew is more than just a leader on the basketball court,” said Bankson. “He has improved every aspect of his college experience by hard work in the classroom and on the court. It is a testament to both his intelligence and leadership to get the most out of his experience at B-W. It is that type of attitude that will make Andrew a winner in life far after graduation.”
“No matter what happens, I know that my parents and friends will continue to drive me in everything I do,” said Bene who is also the brother to three sisters. “My family has always been my encouragement. My parents attend all of my games which really means a lot to me. My sisters also like to get on my case when I am being lazy which is always helpful.”
With Bene’s true love for the game of basketball and for his family and friends, he has the foundation of what is truly the definition of a strong person and team leader. He exemplifies the ideals of the soon-to-be senior team leader as both a student and mentor. These qualities are expected from a future team leader on and off the court, and no matter how much he weighs.
275 Eastland Rd.