Beaver: Benjamin scored 36 points against ASU
■ Continued from Page 7
erhouse Fontana High School,
where he led the team to three
straight 20-plus win seasons.
After graduation, Corey Ben
jamin was named a McDonald’s
All-American, a second-team
All-American by both USA To
day and Parade Magazine, and
player of the year in California
by Cal-Hi Magazine for averag
ing 27.6 points and 11.5 re
bounds as senior.
Benjamin also carried the bur
den of being Oregon State’s most
heralded recruit ever, a label that
would intimidate even the most
confident player.
But not Benjamin.
“There wasn’t any pressure,”
he says of coming to a program
that hadn’t had a winning sea
son since 1990. “1 was just trying
to improve myself as a basket
ball player. I wasn’t thinking
about anything else.”
Benjamin went to work imme
diately on those improvements,
which included both on- and
off-court effort. He says his all
around game has improved be
cause of those efforts, but his
maturation off the court, as well
as gaining bulk through weight
lifting, is equally important.
Those improvements become
immediately obvious when the
performances of both Benjamin
and the team this season are con
trasted with those from 1996-97.
The Beavers finished 7-20 last
season, but surpassed that mark
just 10 games into the 1997-98
season.
While Benjamin was the
Beavers’ top returning scorer
from last season with 14.9 points
per game, he is third in the Pac
10 in both scoring and steals this
season, with 19 points and more
then two steals per contest.
Benjamin admits it was hard
to perform night in and night out
on a team that was struggling,
but he was able to put that be
hind him for one simple reason.
“I love to play,” he says. “I just
go out and play hard and hope
everybody else behind pie plays
hard.”
While that is not a difficult ex
pectation in the ultra-competi
tive world of the Pac-10, there is
a distinct difference between
playing hard and winning. But
Benjamin is convinced the
Beavers have what it takes to be
successful.
“Players here want to win,” he
says. “They know what it takes
to win, and we are capable of be
ing a winning program. We just
put everything on the table and
do whatever it takes.”
But there have been nights
when putting everything on the
table isn’t enough, and it’s on
those nights that Benjamin
shows his true abilities.
“He went down and single
handedly beat Arizona State,”
Oregon’s Henry Madden says of
Benjamin’s 36-point effort in
Oregon State’s win over the Sun
Devils last Sunday. “He’s living
up to the hype and showing peo
ple some things.”
Benjamin avoids any personal
recognition, preferring instead to
talk about the team.
"WeTe just trying to get more
wins than we had last year and
be the most improved team we
can be,” Benjamin says. "You
can’t stop wanting to be better,
and I just want to be better."
If Benjamin continues to im
prove at such an astounding rate,
the inevitable question of his en
try into the NBA draft becomes
even more pressing.
‘T’ve thought about it, and I’m
still thinking about it,” he says.
“I’m sure everybody wants to go
there, and 1 have the opportunity
to think about it, but right now
I’m trying to focus on what I
have to do right now.”
Not only does he have the op
portunity to think about it, Ben
jamin is considered by some to
be one of the top five NBA
prospects in the Pac-10.
With that kind of potential,
every game becomes less of an
opportunity to perform and
more of a need to avoid a career
threatening injury, which Ben
jamin cannot ignore.
“It comes to mind, but it hap
pens to everybody,” he says.
“Everyone gets hurt that one
time. You just deal with that in
your own way.
“If I do get injured, I’ll deal
with it. If I don’t, I’ll take [bas
ketball] as far as it’s going to take
me.”
If basketball does indeed take
him as far as the scouts believe,
that journey from Compton to
Corvallis will seem like a small
step in the giant leap that repre
sents not only one of Benjamin’s
thunderous dunks, but his career
as well.
Wednesday. January 28. men’s and women's shirts
Thursday. January 29. men's & women's slacks & jeans
Friday. January 30. dresses and skirts
Saturday, January 31. all coats & sweaters
Good at all Lane County Goodwill Stores except ,4.v Is Store
Sports Briefs
Martin gets support
from Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON — Dis
abled Eugene golfer Casey
Martin won support from
Bob Dole on Capitol Hill
Wednesday in his bid to ride
a golf cart during PGA tour
naments.
"PGA does not mean
‘Please go away,'” said Dole,
who applauded Martin with
a right hand that is withered
from a war injury. “He’s here
to play."
The former presidential
candidate appeared at the
Capitol with Sen. Tom
Harkin, D-Iowa. The two
sponsored the Americans
with Disabilities Act.
Martin is using the legisla
tion as the basis of his chal
lenge against the PGA Tour.
His case goes to trial Monday
in Eugene.
Dole said he hoped for a
compromise, but Martin
does not anticipate a settle
ment.
—from the Associated Press
Men's Basketball
CIVIL WAR
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For more information,
please call 346-4461.
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