Post by fjs64 on May 12, 2005 10:19:36 GMT -5
Seems like a great signing!
Column: PEZZIMENTI
Piece of cake. That’s probably what Tyler Benson will think of his first basketball season at the college level.
Playing 30 games, practicing two hours a day, and taking an average course load in the classroom should be more of a vacation than a grueling five months — as it is for most freshmen — for the newest St. Bonaventure signee.
Benson, a 6-foot-7 swingman, spent this past year as a post-graduate student at Massanutten Military Academy in Virginia. His days were long, structured and unmercifully repetitive.
But he’s glad he elected to attend Massanutten and he knows he’s better for it.
“I think prep school can be a great asset to kids,” Benson said last week. “It gets you used to college and being away from your parents and home.”<br>Heck, Benson and his teammates spent most of the winter away from their home on campus. Of Massanutten’s 29 games, 24 were on the road. In all, the team logged thousands of miles traveling to gyms in Canada, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and all over Virginia.
But that is just a minor piece of the equation to Benson’s makeup. Most of us couldn’t imagine an average day for a student as Massanutten, located in rural Woodstock, Va.
The day begins with a wake-up call at 6 a.m., followed by a march in full cadet gear to salute the flag before a trip to the mess hall for breakfast. Following breakfast cadets have time to ready themselves for the day and straighten their dorms for room check.
Class only runs from 8 to noon but the day is just beginning for the basketball players. There’s lunch, a two-hour practice, another salute of the flag, dinner and another two-hour practice. An hour study hall rounds out the day and the cadets are tucked in at 10:45 p.m.
And it all starts back up again at 6 a.m., seven days a week.
“It’s one of those things where your time is very valuable,” said Bruce Kreutzer, Benson’s coach at Massanutten. “There’s no TV in their rooms. They might get a few minutes in the lounge to watch ESPN every now and then, but there is no real down time. He’ll have freedom (at college). There’s nothing harder for a kid than going through what Tyler did.”
Additionally, Benson took college courses and already has a semester of credits under his belt. On the court the Morgantown, W.V. native averaged 16 points and six rebounds and shot 39 percent from three as Massanutten went 20-9.
The number of successful players emanating from military prep schools to high level Division I basketball is increasing everyday. Current NBA players David West (New Orleans Hornets) and Josh Howard (Dallas Mavericks) attended Hargrave Military School, one of Massanutten’s annual opponents and one of the elite prep programs in the country, as did Fordham freshman guard Kevin Anderson.
Judging by the way Benson answers questions — “Yes sir. No sir.” — and the way Kreutzer touts his high character and work ethic, Benson should fit right in to the Bona community. Known as a deadly shooter with a developing mid-range game, he could also turn into a late-spring signing period steal for the Bonnies, though he must add weight to his 205-pound frame.
“I think it’s a special situation,” Kreutzer said of the military atmosphere. “You have a group guys all working for the same thing. The amount of time you have to put in on and off the basketball floor definitely provides more self-discipline.”<br>(Vinny Pezzimenti is a sports writer for The Times Herald)
Column: PEZZIMENTI
Piece of cake. That’s probably what Tyler Benson will think of his first basketball season at the college level.
Playing 30 games, practicing two hours a day, and taking an average course load in the classroom should be more of a vacation than a grueling five months — as it is for most freshmen — for the newest St. Bonaventure signee.
Benson, a 6-foot-7 swingman, spent this past year as a post-graduate student at Massanutten Military Academy in Virginia. His days were long, structured and unmercifully repetitive.
But he’s glad he elected to attend Massanutten and he knows he’s better for it.
“I think prep school can be a great asset to kids,” Benson said last week. “It gets you used to college and being away from your parents and home.”<br>Heck, Benson and his teammates spent most of the winter away from their home on campus. Of Massanutten’s 29 games, 24 were on the road. In all, the team logged thousands of miles traveling to gyms in Canada, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and all over Virginia.
But that is just a minor piece of the equation to Benson’s makeup. Most of us couldn’t imagine an average day for a student as Massanutten, located in rural Woodstock, Va.
The day begins with a wake-up call at 6 a.m., followed by a march in full cadet gear to salute the flag before a trip to the mess hall for breakfast. Following breakfast cadets have time to ready themselves for the day and straighten their dorms for room check.
Class only runs from 8 to noon but the day is just beginning for the basketball players. There’s lunch, a two-hour practice, another salute of the flag, dinner and another two-hour practice. An hour study hall rounds out the day and the cadets are tucked in at 10:45 p.m.
And it all starts back up again at 6 a.m., seven days a week.
“It’s one of those things where your time is very valuable,” said Bruce Kreutzer, Benson’s coach at Massanutten. “There’s no TV in their rooms. They might get a few minutes in the lounge to watch ESPN every now and then, but there is no real down time. He’ll have freedom (at college). There’s nothing harder for a kid than going through what Tyler did.”
Additionally, Benson took college courses and already has a semester of credits under his belt. On the court the Morgantown, W.V. native averaged 16 points and six rebounds and shot 39 percent from three as Massanutten went 20-9.
The number of successful players emanating from military prep schools to high level Division I basketball is increasing everyday. Current NBA players David West (New Orleans Hornets) and Josh Howard (Dallas Mavericks) attended Hargrave Military School, one of Massanutten’s annual opponents and one of the elite prep programs in the country, as did Fordham freshman guard Kevin Anderson.
Judging by the way Benson answers questions — “Yes sir. No sir.” — and the way Kreutzer touts his high character and work ethic, Benson should fit right in to the Bona community. Known as a deadly shooter with a developing mid-range game, he could also turn into a late-spring signing period steal for the Bonnies, though he must add weight to his 205-pound frame.
“I think it’s a special situation,” Kreutzer said of the military atmosphere. “You have a group guys all working for the same thing. The amount of time you have to put in on and off the basketball floor definitely provides more self-discipline.”<br>(Vinny Pezzimenti is a sports writer for The Times Herald)
