Watching Anaheim Canyon’s 6-foot-5 senior Brandon Benjamin rating, rebound, move and constantly make a distinction on a basketball court docket towards everybody and anybody brings again recollections of Jaime Jaquez Jr., who appears like his twin.
“I like the comparison,” coach Nathan Harrison mentioned.
Jaquez used to deploy many alternative abilities throughout his days at Camarillo Excessive. Some questioned if they might translate at the next degree. Nicely, they did, first at UCLA and now with the Miami Warmth.
The identical might be mentioned someday of Benjamin, who’s averaging 30.7 factors and is dedicated to San Diego. Final Saturday, after a recreation towards beforehand unbeaten Mira Costa during which he scored 30 factors with zero turnovers, Mira Costa coach Neal Perlmutter mentioned, “That’s hard to do.”
Mentioned Benjamin: “I just feel you have to play smart, you have to make the right decisions and you can’t force things.”
Then on Monday on the Intuit Dome, he scored 29 factors in an time beyond regulation win over San Gabriel Academy. It doesn’t matter the opponent or the venue, Benjamin constantly delivers.
Canyon Excessive’s Brandon Benjamin has been having a stellar senior season.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Instances)
Benjamin has gotten used to being double teamed so many instances that he is aware of precisely the way to get the ball to teammates. He grew up with opponents making an attempt to entice him as a youth participant and Harrison has labored on box-and-one defenses in practices to organize Benjamin.
“I got used to it, learning how to move around and not get frustrated,” he mentioned.
Benjamin is proof you may return dwelling and be welcomed with open arms. He left to play his junior season at Mater Dei, the place he led the Monarchs in rebounding (8.4 per recreation) and was the fourth-leading scorer (13.7), then returned to Canyon final March.
He’s not going to lie about what it was like strolling across the Canyon campus in his return.
“At first, it was little awkward seeing people you know and haven’t seen in a year and were buddy-buddy with,” he mentioned. “After a week or two, I still had a lot of friends. I felt real relaxed. I felt like I was home.”
Benjamin mentioned his Mater Dei expertise was largely optimistic, complimenting coach Gary McKnight.
“I enjoyed it,” he mentioned. “Not everything is perfect in this life. I have nothing negative to say, only good things about coach McKnight.”
His return to Canyon has labored out. He likes the neighborhood environment at video games and appreciates Harrison letting him do what he does greatest — be himself.
“He has a reputation as this incredible scorer, but he’s just as effective as a passer and kind of runs our team as a point guard,” Harrison mentioned. “The zero turnovers is even more impressive considering how many times he’s touching the ball. He makes all the players so much better.”
Much more intriguing is how Benjamin is getting ready himself for faculty. He’s performed ahead or heart for all 4 years of highschool. At 17, he nonetheless has loads of room to enhance, and he’s been engaged on his guard abilities as a result of that’s what San Diego coach Steve Lavin needs him to play.
“I’ve been trying to work on my quickness, strength, ballhandling,” Benjamin mentioned. “He wants me to play guard. It’s going to be a challenge because playing center/forward until now in high school, [this] is something new. I’m down for the challenge.”
Canyon followers have Benjamin’s again, and Harrison is simply grateful to have an opportunity to teach him once more.
“We’ve always liked Brandon,” he mentioned. “We appreciated how hard he played for us. We just live in a different era. You can’t take it personally. Young people have a lot in their ears. He’s very comfortable with us and we think we do a good job utilizing our kids.”
As for classes realized, Benjamin mentioned, “If some of these guys are [as] good as they say, they should stay at their school and try to make themselves a winning school. A lot of college coaches don’t look at high school ball. It’s really the AAU circuit. I feel that’s the path to success.”
