Every Saturday, starting from when he was four years old, Bennett’s dad would bring him to a pickup basketball game. This early introduction to basketball grew Bennett’s love for the game and pushed him to achieve his dreams in basketball. He says, “I think that all those Saturday mornings I spent out there really integrated my love for the game as I grew up.” These dreams of success in basketball turned into tangible goals when Bennet started playing and training for basketball in middle school. Bennett says, “That is when I started to train and actually aspire to play college ball.”
When Bennett joined the Anderson Basketball program, he hoped to be able to make the varsity or JV squad his freshman year, and he was disappointed when coach Pittsford told him he would be playing on the freshman team. Bennett was worried that this would hurt his chances of playing collegiate basketball, “I thought that if I was going to play in college, then I needed to at least play on JV if I was to be on varsity the next year.” Being on varsity as a sophomore was Bennett’s goal, and he was worried that being put on the freshman team might postpone this goal until his junior year. However, now that he is graduating from Anderson as a three-year varsity member, Bennett realizes the importance of his year on the freshman team, “It gave me time to learn the ins and outs of our system and our program, which made it easier to adjust to the varsity level.” Once Bennett made varsity, he wanted to be “the guy” on the team, but he is grateful that he was able to learn from great players like Jack Francis, Max Smith, and Mike Wagner, who pushed him to be better, “They showed me how to work hard, but more importantly to be a great teammate.” Bennett attributes the work ethic and leadership that he learned from great Anderson players before him to the successful season and playoff push he was able to lead his senior year.
Bennett’s senior season meant the world to him. After being a part of multiple successful playoff seasons, Bennett felt he had a standard to uphold, “I wanted to make my teammates proud and build on the success that the program had been having.” Unfortunately, the team started off slow and, almost halfway through district, had a 1-5 record. Playoff hopes were looking bleak, but Bennett and the Trojan squad were able to turn the season around and end district play on a blistering 8-3 run, including huge wins against Lake Travis, Bowie, and Dripping Springs, which gave them a playoff berth. Bennett is very proud of what he and his team accomplished, “We didn’t have a lot of experience going into this year but to hit our stride after a slow start to preseason, and the first half of district, and competing with teams that outmatched us on paper really showed our programs grit and discipline.” He hopes the success of his senior year will leave a legacy for future Anderson basketball players to follow.
Great players influence the programs they were a part of, and Bennett did just that. His teammate Mitchell Whitlow, who also graduated this year and played on varsity with Bennett for three years, says, “Bennett influenced the Anderson basketball program by elevating the level of practice every day, which made us better as a team.” Bennett’s coaches provided an insight into what made Bennett such a good ball player. Coach Swanson says it’s a combination of Bennett’s natural talent and his relentless drive. He talked about how Bennett would work five hours a day during the summer doing team workouts, private training sessions, and playing on AAU teams. Coach Swanson says, “With Bennetts’s ability and drive, it is hard not to be good.” Coach Pittsford mentioned Bennetts’s natural ability to shoot the basketball, “The first thing that made him impactful was the ability to shoot the ball.” Once Bennett was able to improve other parts of his game, like his defense, Coach Pitt says, “it put him in a different category.” The combination of Bennett’s talent, hard work, and leadership has been instrumental to the Anderson basketball program’s success throughout the past few seasons.
Bennett has had countless great memories with the Anderson basketball program, but a few will stick with him forever. He says winning back-to-back undefeated district titles and going to the third round in the playoffs in his sophomore and junior years was incredible. Bennett enjoyed every moment of those two seasons, “It was awesome to be in such a competitive environment on a daily basis.” He also cherishes the moment when he reached 1,000 points, a goal he had set for himself before high school. The playoff push he led his senior year might be his favorite memory, though, “No one can take that playoff berth from us, and to go through the struggles as a team this year and to still finish how we did means so much to me, especially since I was able to continue the recent legacy of success within the program.
Some of Bennett’s biggest basketball influences include Trae Young and Kyrie Irving because they are both skilled undersized guards like him who have achieved a multitude of successes in college and the NBA. Bennett’s former teammate Mike Wagner also greatly influenced him, “He taught me so much about how to be competitive and how to lead the right way. I still ask him for advice to this day.” Bennett’s dad is why he got into basketball and is a massive influence on Bennett, “My dad is my #1 fan and never lets me hang my head. He actively helped me when I was struggling mentally and always provided me with optimism and confidence when I needed it most.” The support from his dad helped Bennett push through obstacles in basketball and life and achieve his goals.
Now that Bennett has graduated from Anderon High School, he will be attending San Jose State University, where we will play basketball and study economics and business. Bennett’s goal for college basketball is to “have an opportunity to play basketball at a high level and be a part of a program that is on the verge of building something special with Coach Miles at the helm.” Bennett will do anything to capitalize on the great opportunity he has been given.
