Benny

[Zelda Zonk]

You mistake confidence for arrogance. And to suggest that they are ignorant is mean-spirited on your part. And you’re actually ignorant for making that comment because you don’t personally know either of them. They are actually quite bright and, and Judah has a very engaging personality and a great smile.

The “great smile” bit just invalidated the rest of your post.

 

[orange44]

Outside of pure athletic ability what has he shown to be better than Taylor at from a basketball skills standpoint?

Agree. Taylor seems to bring more stability to the team while he is on the floor.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I see Taylor as being pretty limited in creating shots for himself or anyone else. He’s a catch and shoot guy who might occasionally dribble in a bit closer if someone overplays. And that’s about it. He does try to rebound. His upside is just more consistent shooting from three. I see Benny as having the potential for offense on three levels. I‘m not saying he does this consistently, but when he’s good as he has been for a handful of games and in spurts in others, that’s what he’s doing: threes, dribble across the lane and a pull up, occasional/rare stuff at the rim.

Don‘t get me wrong—I’m not a fan. I do, though, see the potential he flashes, and I’m becoming more and more concerned about JT’s shot technique and slow release. I thought JT was going to be Buddy 2.0 but he hasn’t shown any of the crafty stuff that Buddy used to do to make/get shots off. JT looks, too often, like he has to shoot at higher trajectories to avoid blocks, so not open is he.

JMO, but I don't see any of that with Benny. I don't get how someone can be a three level scorer if they can't handle the ball at all. I think some are trying to force what isn't there.

 

[br801]

JMO, but I don't see any of that with Benny. I don't get how someone can be a three level scorer if they can't handle the ball at all. I think some are trying to force what isn't there.

And I've been squinting real hard from various angles and I've yet to see anything to suggest that Benny possesses any point forward skills that Red could somehow be unleashing.

 

[721Comstock]

JMO, but I don't see any of that with Benny. I don't get how someone can be a three level scorer if they can't handle the ball at all. I think some are trying to force what isn't there.

Benny seems to have a bit of “Roberson Syndrome” -

He desperately wants to be a 3, but doesn’t have the skillset for it, at all.

To Robey’s credit, the staff was able to get him “plugged in” semi-regularly, and in those cases he was a monster rebounder for us.
And he was usually a solid defender too.

Conversely, Benny has only been “plugged in” maybe a half dozen times in his 2+ years here.
Let’s hope Red & crew can find the cord and get him “plugged in” more regularly-
he’s a very solid player when he’s on.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

Why so much drama about this kid after last nights blowout? I don't get it. He had 2 blocks a nice steal and hit a 3. Hes our like 9th man in the rotation. Took a couple bad shots so wasn't in long.

What more do people expect from a bench player in 10 minutes than that? We know he has issues but hasn't killed anyone or anything I doubt its extreme hes just immature.

I have never had big expectations for him since he came in under what we expected but I don't mind our 8th or 9th guy having some upside. We can't give him Bell's minutes either because we need Bell's shooting just have to pray that Chris doesn't have the same number of rebounds as a dead guy every night.

This reads like Benny was recruited to be a bench/role player at SU. You know darn well that wasn’t the expectation around Benny. He may have fallen to the level of a role player, but he was expected to be a star player (one to two years then NBA). He’s fallen well short of consensus expectations.

 

[CardiacCuse]

Very few people expect Benny to be a star at this point. We just need him to be a solid power forward who rebounds, plays good D and can block shots and score in the paint or in the mid range. I don’t know if he understands or accepts that but hopefully he eventually will. We can’t write him off because we’re gonna need his size and athleticism against bigger and stronger teams. Maliq, JT and Bell won’t be enough.

i feel like part of it is that the role you describe is all thats available for any forward.

i doubt benny returned to SU to be a role player.

theres a spot on the team for a forward who gets his own without help from teammates basically. benny hasnt learned how to do that. and hnestly I can see why he would resent being offered the chance to be a role player...or on the bench.

the offense needs to do a better job of getting forwards and centers involved

the guards are the dominant group on the team 9as they should be) ...unless a forward is getting the rebound and scoring off of that...they rely on the guards to get shots. none of the forwards are getting plays called or getting a featured spot on the team. just bc of how the rsoter and offense are structured.

vs tennessee...benny came in and drilled 2 quick shots then didnt see the ball a whole lot after that...is that his fault? idk...but if I was coach, he woulda shot more in that game 100%.

the guards have done a better job. a much better job in the last 2 games getting other involved...hopfully the passing and ball movement continues and the hot player changes from game to game and gets fed accordingly.

benny could be a lot better at getting his own offense ... he really needs to channel a bit of what quadir and maliq are doing and incorporate it into his game...

but he did have 4 boards in limited minutes last game...he was active around the rim from what I saw!

i predict by the end of the season his minutes will be up from where they are now. as long as he can keep his cool about everything.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Benny seems to have a bit of “Roberson Syndrome” -

He desperately wants to be a 3, but doesn’t have the skillset for it, at all.

To Robey’s credit, the staff was able to get him “plugged in” semi-regularly, and in those cases he was a monster rebounder for us.
And he was usually a solid defender too.

Conversely, Benny has only been “plugged in” maybe a half dozen times in his 2+ years here.
Let’s hope Red & crew can find the cord and get him “plugged in” more regularly-
he’s a very solid player when he’s on.

I'd take Roberson from Benny. Roberson was a better player.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

I'd take Roberson from Benny. Roberson was a better player.

Didn’t he have 20 something boards at Duke ? Benny would be lucky to stay eligible long enough to total 20 boards

 

[Nicknack]

I'd take Roberson from Benny. Roberson was a better player.

I don't necessarily disagree, but I think that's part of the issue with Benny. He has a much higher ceiling but also a lower floor (versus Roberson). As a fan, it has been frustrating to see him perform much less than what he's capable of, particularly when some of it seems to due to effort and attitude.

 

[Goin' Deep]

I think Benny kind of takes it personally when he doesn't get the opportunities/PT consistently.
But you could see in the LSU game that when he came in he hit the boards and looked like he was into the game. No doubt he's got the talent and if he realizes how he can meet the team's needs, we are a better team with he and Bell starting at forward and Malik coming off the bench to spell Benny or McLeod.
But Benny has to show Red he's ready to earn that PT. It seems like it's 2 steps forward and 1 step back.

 

[Newhouser]

Benny can get a lot more shots if he would grab an offensive board or venture anywhere near the paint on the offensive end. Skulking around the perimeter waiting to launch a 3 doesn't result in maximum shots.

 

[DilemaCuse]

Somebody might have given him 5 stars, but all I remember is 4.

Basketball Recruiting - Benny Williams - Player Profiles - ESPN

Yeah most services rated him a 4, there might have been 1 that gave him 5 star status for a brief period, can't remember, not sure.
I want credit for coining him w the nickname, failure to launch

 

[Cuse44]

Benny was told he was the next Melo and he ran with that. He does work hard the problem is it’s primarily 20ft from the basket. Melo had a crazy spin move on the low block and I’ve never seen him practice that and with his ability he could actually make that a staple vs bad 3’s.

At this point he’s more Matt Moyer then Melo.

Taylor is taking his minutes for good reason he just plays hard and doesn’t ever complain that he’s a 2 not a 4. He just plays the 4 as hard as he can with zero complaints - I’ll take that teammate any day.

Benny acts like he’s getting screwed. Instead of trying to be a 2 when you are a 4 look at the dude taking your minutes.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Benny was told he was the next Melo and he ran with that. He does work hard the problem is it’s primarily 20ft from the basket. Melo had a crazy spin move on the low block and I’ve never seen him practice that and with his ability he could actually make that a staple vs bad 3’s.

At this point he’s more Matt Moyer then Melo.

Taylor is taking his minutes for good reason he just plays hard and doesn’t ever complain that he’s a 2 not a 4. He just plays the 4 as hard as he can with zero complaints - I’ll take that teammate any day.

Benny acts like he’s getting screwed. Instead of trying to be a 2 when you are a 4 look at the dude taking your minutes.

In all fairness to him, as fans we really have no idea what Benny's thinking. That's part of the problem.
But if HCRA himself decided suspension and benching was the correct move, then most of our speculation is likely on point.

 

[jordoo]

Benny seems to have a bit of “Roberson Syndrome” -

He desperately wants to be a 3, but doesn’t have the skillset for it, at all.

To Robey’s credit, the staff was able to get him “plugged in” semi-regularly, and in those cases he was a monster rebounder for us.
And he was usually a solid defender too.

Conversely, Benny has only been “plugged in” maybe a half dozen times in his 2+ years here.
Let’s hope Red & crew can find the cord and get him “plugged in” more regularly-
he’s a very solid player when he’s on.

A focused Roberson is exactly the type of forward this team needs. Play defense, rebound like a bull, dunk everything hard and on this team with our faster pace of play RUN THE FLOOR for easy hoops.

It seemed like Roberson would shoot a jump shot and get subbed out immediately for a season and a half before he stopped taking them. To his credit though there were many games we won because of his rebounding. A specific Duke game comes to mind.

 

[baggerbob]

A focused Roberson is exactly the type of forward this team needs. Play defense, rebound like a bull, dunk everything hard and on this team with our faster pace of play RUN THE FLOOR for easy hoops.

It seemed like Roberson would shoot a jump shot and get subbed out immediately for a season and a half before he stopped taking them. To his credit though there were many games we won because of his rebounding. A specific Duke game comes to mind.

The DC, Rony, Billy, Stevie, Dave Johnson, grabbed the rebound outlet to the point guard, and run for an easy basket.

 

[Zepharus]

You mistake confidence for arrogance. And to suggest that they are ignorant is mean-spirited on your part. And you’re actually ignorant for making that comment because you don’t personally know either of them. They are actually quite bright and, and Judah has a very engaging personality and a great smile.

Related? It wasn't an attack. Confidence and arrogance have a very fine line. Also please do not put words into my mouth, never was it said or implied that anyone was not intelligent. Judah has a personality in excess. By all accounts a great person. Perhaps I should have said have some humility... you just got smacked, have some respect for your opponent. Humility is more of a learned trait, usually taught by your guardians...or not.

 

[MikeSU02]

Benny should be living above the rim, getting boards, corner catch and shoot threes and working to be a lock down defender.

Instead he wants to be an off the dribble jump shooter and thinks he has a handle.

It's a mess right now.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Taylor is taking his minutes for good reason he just plays hard and doesn’t ever complain that he’s a 2 not a 4. He just plays the 4 as hard as he can with zero complaints - I’ll take that teammate any day.

It's stupid early still but you're right. JT is 6th among conference teams in defensive win shares, 10th in D-rating, 6th in total defensive rebounds, and 9th in defensive rebound percentage. He starts shooting the ball again and he's going to be a problem for other teams as a 3 and D guy.

 

[FrancoPizza]

I think it's more likely he's the same player he's always been. Fans keep expecting more productivity when we have 60 plus games showing this is who he is.

Is that you, Ms Angelou?

 

[pwong]

Benny seems to have a bit of “Roberson Syndrome” -

He desperately wants to be a 3, but doesn’t have the skillset for it, at all.

To Robey’s credit, the staff was able to get him “plugged in” semi-regularly, and in those cases he was a monster rebounder for us.
And he was usually a solid defender too.

Conversely, Benny has only been “plugged in” maybe a half dozen times in his 2+ years here.
Let’s hope Red & crew can find the cord and get him “plugged in” more regularly-
he’s a very solid player when he’s on.

Does anyone remember in early 2014 when we were starting Tyler Roberson at the 3 with McCollough and Rak as the bigs? What a weird time that was.

 

[NorSyr66]

I think Benny kind of takes it personally when he doesn't get the opportunities/PT consistently.
But you could see in the LSU game that when he came in he hit the boards and looked like he was into the game. No doubt he's got the talent and if he realizes how he can meet the team's needs, we are a better team with he and Bell starting at forward and Malik coming off the bench to spell Benny or McLeod.
But Benny has to show Red he's ready to earn that PT. It seems like it's 2 steps forward and 1 step back.

I like your final comment. It perfectly fits my observation on Benny.....2 steps forward and 1 step back. I keep hoping he finally clears the hump and has several solid efforts in a few games, building his confidence and fitting into the flow of the team.

 

[djcon57]

Benny should be living above the rim, getting boards, corner catch and shoot threes and working to be a lock down defender.

Instead he wants to be an off the dribble jump shooter and thinks he has a handle.

It's a mess right now.

TBH, he's not really worth discussing.

He can't be counted on. You put him in and see how he's doing today. If he's shot is on and he's active, you play him. If not, you pull him ASAP.

Analysis of his face on the sidelines, how hard he's cheering, etc is just pointless at this time in his progress. If he wants to leave, there's the door. If he wants to stay and fight on, we'll all be happy to see it.

 

[DoctorBombay]

TBH, he's not really worth discussing.

He can't be counted on. You put him in and see how he's doing today. If he's shot is on and he's active, you play him. If not, you pull him ASAP.

Analysis of his face on the sidelines, how hard he's cheering, etc is just pointless at this time in his progress. If he wants to leave, there's the door. If he wants to stay and fight on, we'll all be happy to see it.

" The opposite of love, is not hate...it is indifference".

I think the fan base is becoming indifferent to Benny and his situation.
At some point it becomes: "Isht, or get off the pot already...or don't! Who cares?" -sigh-