Dwayne Benjamin (basketball)

Dwayne Benjamin (born June 7, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Geraldton Buccaneers of the State Basketball League (SBL). He played two seasons of college basketball for Oregon before beginning his professional career in Denmark in 2016.

High school career

Benjamin attended Northside High School in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he played basketball, football and track and field. He helped Northside's basketball team earn a 26–4 record as a senior in 2011–12. He was a talented wide receiver on the football team as well, with many schools offering him scholarships to play football. He caught 14 touchdowns and totaled 927 receiving yards on 45 receptions in 2010.^[1]

College career

Coming out of high school, Benjamin joined Mt. San Jacinto College in California. During his freshman campaign in 2012–13, he averaged 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, while compiling seven double-doubles. Playing 28 of 31 games, he was a major factor in the team's success as they finished with a 21–11 record.^[1]

As a sophomore in 2013–14, Benjamin averaged 21.1 points per game while starting all 28 of the games he played. He also averaged 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists, and shot 44.4 percent from the field. He scored 25 or more points nine different times, including a high of 38, and grabbed more than 10 rebounds in five different games to help the team finish with a 25–5 record.^[1]

After committing to Oregon in October 2013,^[2] Benjamin joined the Ducks squad as a junior in 2014–15. He played in 34 of 36 games while starting in 13 as a junior, averaging 8.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 23.2 minutes per game.^[3] On February 8, 2015, Benjamin scored a career-high 25 points in a 95–72 victory over Washington State. He finished 10 of 11 from the field and was perfect on three 3-point attempts.^[4]

As a senior at Oregon in 2015–16, Benjamin averaged 7.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 21.7 minutes over 38 appearances as the Ducks' sixth man.^[3][5] On November 25, 2015, he tied his career high of 25 points in a 91–68 win over Arkansas State.^[5] Known for his athleticism and leaping ability while at Oregon, Benjamin was a valuable piece for the Ducks during their Elite Eight run in March and April 2016. He also practiced with the football team a number times during the spring before ultimately deciding that he wanted to continue his basketball career.^[6][7]

Professional career

On June 30, 2016, Benjamin signed with the Bakken Bears of the Danish Basketball League for the 2016–17 season.^[6] However, on November 10, 2016, he was released by Bakken.^[8] In five league games, he averaged 12.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and and 1.2 steals per game. He also appeared in six BCL games, averaging 7.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game.^[8]

In January 2017, Benjamin signed with the Geraldton Buccaneers of the State Basketball League for the 2017 season.^[9][10] He made his debut for the Buccaneers in their season opener on March 18, 2017, recording 33 points, five rebounds, seven assists, four steals and one block in a 119–84 win over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.^[11] A day later, he had 29 points, nine rebounds, four assists, four steals and one block in a 99–85 win over the Lakeside Lightning.^[12] He was subsequently named Player of the Week for Round 1.^[13][14] On May 13, 2017, he recorded season highs of 42 points and 16 rebounds in a 117–113 win over the Perth Redbacks.^[15] On July 1, 2017, he had another 42-point effort in a 111–77 win over the East Perth Eagles.^[16] He helped the Buccaneers finish the regular season in third place with a 19–7 record, while garnering a total of four Player of the Week awards.^[17]

On July 3, 2017, Benjamin signed with Macedonian club Blokotehna for the 2017–18 season.^[18]

References

External links

• Dwayne Benjamin at goducks.com
• Dwayne Benjamin at sportstg.com
• "Former Duck Dwayne Benjamin enjoys Oregon's Final Four run from a world away" at oregonlive.com