Benzinger’s Career is Nearing the Buzzer

by Alan Hieber

The Nutter Center floor was being taken apart Wednesday afternoon with the conclusion of the Wright State home slate on Monday.

With this symbolic background, senior guard Grant Benzinger discussed what will be the final stages of his WSU career in the next couple of weeks and reflected on his legacy sporting the green and gold.

Monday night's contest against Cleveland State started with the pregame ceremony honoring Benzinger, who was joined by his family. Sports are in his genes with his father Todd, the former Reds first baseman, and his mother Kristi, who swam and played golf in high school.

"I was blessed with two athletic parents," Benzinger said.

Benzinger started out with some nerves, but scored eight points in the first half. In the second, with the Raiders trailing, he nailed three three-pointers to the roar of the crowd as WSU pulled away for a 72-63 win.

"We responded in the second half. I hit some shots and other guys made big plays," Benzinger said. "You want to blow a team out, but I think it was a better game like that on a senior night with more memorable moments in it."

Also given recognition on senior night was guard Trey Stacey. Between their time on the court at Moeller and now WSU, he and Benzinger have been teammates for eight years.

"Every team needs a guy like him (Stacey) on it. He works his tail off, but he also knows when to keep it light and crack a joke," Benzinger said. "Sometimes in the middle of the season you get caught up with trying to stay locked in, and you need to take a step back and have some perspective. He does a really good job of making us realize that it's just a game."

During his Raider career, Benzinger has been toughness personified by sacrificing his own body on a regular basis. This can be traced back to his football roots at Moeller and in the backyard against friends. He also wanted to give his best effort for his parents since they helped him get into sports.

In Benzinger's debut as a freshman, he took a charge to seal a victory against Belmont. He has gotten stitches in his eyebrows and hip from diving onto the floor. Against Cleveland State, he had a fitting jump off the court around the baseline.

"You don't want to have any regrets at the end of this. If I have to get a couple more stitches, than so be it," Benzinger said.

One of the more notable offensive highlights was in a game against Valparaiso during Benzinger's sophomore year, when he sank a 70-foot shot to beat the halftime buzzer. This play would be number one on Sportcenter's top plays for about an hour before being eclipsed by Stephen Curry's two half-court buzzer beaters that night.

"I got a lot of mentions on Twitter. With shots like that you throw them up and pray they go in, and that one did," Benzinger said. "You never think it's going to happen to you."

Benzinger has a stamp in the WSU record books as the 15th leading scorer in program history and the leader in 3-pointers made. This season he has led the team in per game scoring average with 14.5, including a season-high 31 points facing rival Northern Kentucky on the road. His career high came last year at Georgia State with 32 points.

"I try not to think about that. My family does all that for me," Benzinger said. "When I came in here I had no expectation of being the all-time three-point shooter. I hope I keep it for a long time, but the main thing on my list right now is to keep to the NCAA tournament."

When Benzinger's career comes to a close he says he will miss his teammates, coaches and the WSU fans.

"This is the most fun I've ever had with a team. I say that probably because we've won games, but I love being around the guys," Benzinger said. "I don't really hang out with anyone else besides them and my family. When it's all said and done, and I'm not with them all the time, I don't know what I'm going to do."

"The coaches are mentors to me. It's not just basketball here. There is a lot of life advice they tell you about."

"When we watch the women's games some of the fans come up and tell us how much they love watching us play. You think they're just saying that, but they really mean it. It means a lot to us because without their support we're nothing. If we don't have fans, we don't have a team."

This season has been a far cry from the 2014-15 year that saw the Raiders get plagued by injuries on their way to a 12-19 record. The rise his team has made after that is a point of pride for Benzinger.

"My freshman year we were just trying not to be the last place team in the league going into the last weekend," Benzinger said. "Fast forward three years, and we're trying to be the first place team in the league. To fight back for three years to get where this program needs to be is huge."

There is no doubt that Benzinger has given his all for the Raiders, a team he has literally been willing to bleed for. To complete the unfinished business of cutting down the nets in Detroit after the Horizon League tournament, he says it will take defense, rebounding and of course toughness.

"If we take care of those three things, we can capture this," Benzinger said.

Players Mentioned

Grant Benzinger

Trey Stacey

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