I remember the first time I saw Ben; it was the exhibition game before the 2005-2006 season. I had skipped out on the MSU-AL game to get a sneak peak of the basketball bullies. We left at halftime so we could get seats behind the bench. We sat 2 rows behind the bench and Ben was there for his recruiting trip. At the time I was not familiar with Ben, but that would last long. From the time Ben suited up for MSU, it hasn’t taken long for Ben to earn the reputation as “The Hardest Working Man in College Basketball”. Ben grew up a lot last season after being asked to play the point and then thriving at the end of the season at the two. Ben’s improvement from the beginning to end of last season was exponential. You have to feel that Ben plays with a chip on his shoulder and that is what makes him the player he is. Ben is not the most athletic player that had ever adorned a MSU jersey, but he could be one of the best in due time because he is willing to work harder than anyone else. Ben flourished toward the end of last season at the two with his three point shooting and ability to drive the lane. I look forward to next season, not just because our returning talent, but to see Ben’s improvement he has made after all his hard work we know he is putting in this summer. To fans outside the Bulldog Nation, Ben is known as Tyler’s little brother, but don’t look for that to be the norm much longer as Ben makes his impact on the new basketball season.
8 comments:
Hansbrough appears to be a very tough player. Hansbrough is one of a group of outstanding 3 point shooters set to be playing for Mississippi State during the 2007-2008 Basketball season. He can do other things well also, and is continuing to improve.
Ben's greatest area to improve in will be his defense. He had zero blocked shots as a FR and at times he had trouble keeping his man in front of him, which was a hit on our m2m with him on the floor. That's understandable considering his youth.
Hopefully he's spending the whole summer training up lateral quickness. Good defense will make him hard to sit.
Hansbrough and Stewart both appear to be potential starters at the two and three slots, though a lot depends on what guys like Ravern Johnson and Phil Turner bring to the table and what's best the team. All of these guys are in position to contribute. An excellent guard rotation. Also, Benock is in the mix if he isn't redshirted.
It is hard to say if Benock will be redshirted, but look for Phil to make his mark on the upcoming season, he could end up being our next Winsome Frazier. Ben and Baryy will be steady, but Ravern could be a starter on the wing by the time SEC rolls around, he will be a offensive sprkplug off the bench.
At times last season, Hansbrough didn't appear to be looking for his shot much, but seemed more in tooned to getting the others involved. Very unselfish player, and also a very capable scorer. He appears to be developing an all around type game.
Agree, Ben is developing his game as a whole. That is the great thing about Ben, his game is not one dimensional and he is willing to do whatever it takes for his team to win, so he might come out and surprise next season, he is going to to whatever it takes for his team to get better.
He will always be Tyler's little brother, and that's not a bad thing. Tyler is a future NBA superstar. But I understand where you are coming from. We are really fortunate to have Ben on our team.
As far as I am concerned Tyler is "Ben's older brother"!
With all the other things Ben he does, I don't necessarily think he needs to become a shot blocker.
What I like about Ben's game is that he can do some of everything-and he does whatever it takes to win at that moment.
Souldog
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