Benson gets scholarship without playing his senior year
There are young men and women from small towns all over the country dreaming of becoming professional athletes one day and it’s no different in Luling.
Hahnville High School graduate Shaquille Benson, 19, is a 6-foot-10, 270-pound basketball player who would love one day to play in the NBA. Not so much for glory, but he wants to make some money and support his family in return for supporting him.
“My mom and stepdad have always gone without to provide for me, my brother and sister,” Benson said. “My mom works in a plant as an appointment setter and my stepdad is a roofer, so they work real hard, and they always make sure we have what we need. I’d like to do the same for them.”
Benson and his family moved to Luling from New Orleans East in 2004 when Benson was 8 years old. He had never played basketball up to that point, but decided to join his cousin and brother for a pick-up game at the park one day and really had fun with it, and he wanted to play more.
He played as a child with the recreation league in Luling and felt he wasn’t the best player, but could hang with the best. By the time he got to AAU, he still didn’t feel he was much better, but his coaches saw something else, according to Benson.
“I knew the other kids were better than me,” he said. “But my coach took an interest in me, a personal interest and he helped me to get better. Coach also took me a lot of places; I got to see New York, Las Vegas and so many other places travelling to tournaments. I really look up to him.”
Coach Jamal Mundy said Benson was so much bigger than the rest of the kids it took time and patience to teach him fundamentals, but he came a long way.
“Initially, he lacked respect for most coaches who tried to teach him,” Mundy said, adding he didn’t know why Benson showed him respect but he did.
“I used to lay down the law to him,” Mundy said. “I told him I’d take him to all these different tournaments if he showed me something, and if he got his homework done or finished summer school on time. And he did exactly that.”
Mundy said Benson stayed in the gym, worked hard and improved week after week.
By the time Benson was 15, he grew out of the program, both physically and in ability. He transferred to the Adidas league, which brings together top 15U, 16U and 17U teams from across the country to compete for the title of Adidas Uprising Gauntlet champion.
He also played for the Hahnville Tigers for three years. It would have been four years, but Benson aged out of eligibility in 2014.
“I would have been OK if I was born in September,” he said. “But my birthday is in August and I missed it by like a month.”
Benson said he loved high school basketball, especially when they played Destrehan or East St. John.
“The crowd would be yelling and the adrenaline would be flowing, it was really great,” he said.
Benson explained how Hahnville head coach Brian Lumar really helped him to polish his game. He credited Lumar with staying with him after practice and helping him learn how to rebound better and box out. Lumar also taught him the strategy of the game in general.
“I have three rules I like to teach,” Lumar said. “Play hard, play smart and play together. Those are three ingredients I believe will make a player successful.”
Benson admits his first year of high school wasn’t his best as far as his attitude was concerned. He said he didn’t care about anything, including school work or basketball. But then something happened that changed everything.
“I got my first call from a college basketball coach,” Benson said. “It was midnight I remember and the coach said I was the first consideration in the class of 2015. He offered me a full scholarship to attend ULL (University of Louisiana at Lafayette). That weekend, eight more coaches called and it totally changed my attitude.”
At first he admits he was rebellious, but now he just wants to do all the right things and see as much of the world as possible. He wants to experience all sorts of new adventures, including the adventure of the NBA … and possibly one day meeting his hero Kevin Durant.
It was Mundy who gave Benson the itch for seeing new places. “I took him to New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, among other places,” Mundy said. “I took him to tournaments and the excitement in his eyes was priceless.”
Mundy believes the very same attitude will take the young man to college.
This year, with offers piling up at home, Benson selected East Central Community College in Decatur, Miss.
“I really liked seeing new places, and I’ve always lived in Louisiana.” Benson said. “I just want to go some place different, even if it’s only an hour away.”
Be the first to comment