First impressions of recruit Mike Bennett
By ANDY THORPE
Indianapolis, IN -- Last night the Indiana boy's All-stars, again, ran away from the Kentucky boys, but the easy victory gave me the chance to see future player Mike Bennett of Brebeuf play several minutes.
Bennett, a 6-5 200 pound guard, scored 10 points with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and at least 3 steals. The BSU recruit was the only player willing to get on the floor after loose balls in the All-Star game. Bennett is a fine athlete who possesses the ability to do several things that will help his ballclub.
Bennett displayed a nice shot from the perimeter. The guard was two-for-two from three point range and also drove well to the hole. Bennett is an overwhelming athlete, he won't beat you time and time again off the dribble, but he doesn't have too. Bennett has the ability to pull up and hit the mid-range jumper that is missing from several players games today.
Bennett also showed a daft ability to pass the ball. He may have had but two assists, but he made several good passes to players that either dropped them because they weren't prepared to receive the ball or missed the lay-up.
Defensively, Bennett is a gem. He stays far enough away from his opponent that he won't get beat off the dribble, but he stays close enough that he can use his long arms to poke the ball away. He looks as though he might be able to block some shots too, he has good timing, but with so many big guys behind him to block shots last night he didn't need to.
Bennett has a good handle, good enough to play point guard. His court vision and awareness show that he is definitely a coaches son. He hustles, plays defense and plays an all-around solid floor game. To say Mike Bennett will be a star next year and average 15 points a game might be a little too much to ask, but you can bank on him possibly working his way into the starting five and being a very solid contributor next season. His game will only improve and he will be a solid perfomer for his 4 seasons here in Muncie.
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