North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Bennerman Does a Little of Everything
12/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2005
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH - When asked, Cameron Bennerman can be a defensive stopper, though it's not his favorite thing to do. He can also be a scorer, which is. But Sunday evening at the RBC Center, the senior from Greensboro proved he can also be a versatile leader as the No. 21 Wolfpack beat Miami 81-69 in the ACC opener for both teams.
In the end, Bennerman scored 19 points against the Hurricanes, a good pay-back after he missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at Miami last year. But his total wasn't really the point, since he was one of five Wolfpack players in double-figures. Senior guard Tony Bethel had 15 points, all on 3-pointers, and Ilian Evtimov, Engin Atsur and Andrew Brackman all had 11 apiece. What mattered for Bennerman was that he made the hustle plays - like scrambling for a couple of early second half offensive rebounds - that the No. 21 Wolfpack needed to sustain Miami's comeback from an 11-point lead.
He hit a 3-pointer with 14:18 to play that put the Wolfpack ahead for good, then made sure that the Hurricanes couldn't come back on the shoulders of All-ACC junior guard Guillermo Diaz, who Bennerman chased all over the court in the second half in a matchup of two of the league's most athletic players.
"I am called upon to do that a lot, more than I prefer," Bennerman said. "But that is my role on the team, and I have no problem doing it."
Bennerman has always been offensively explosive, which he showed as a sophomore two years ago when he stepped in for injured Scooter Sherrill. But back then, Bennerman was not known for his defense, which kept him behind other more experienced, more defensively adept players. That began to change at the end of last season, when Bennerman was completely recovered from the dislocated elbow that kept him out of seven games in January and February.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Bennerman was asked to put the clamps on Charlotte guard Brendan Plavich, who had hit his first four 3-point shots in the first half, allowing the 49ers to take several 14 point leads. When Bennerman was given sole responsibility for covering Plavich, the Charlotte shooter found it difficult to get an open shot and missed five of his final six shots from beyond the arc.
"I think that Charlotte game last year was a break-through for him," said teammate Ilian Evtimov. "It set the stage and gave him a lot of confidence that he can be the best defensive player in the nation. With his physical abilities, he is starting to prove it."
In the second half of Sunday's game, Bennerman switched off Miami guard Robert Hite to cover Diaz, who was the Hurricanes' top scorer last year and a second-team All-ACC selection. But Bennerman had him similarly frustrated, as Diaz went 6-for-15 from the field and 2-for-7 from 3-point range. Diaz managed to score a team-high 19 points, but Miami's offense struggled all day long against the Wolfpack defense, hitting just 37.5 percent of its shots.
Meanwhile, the Wolfpack was hot from the outside, making 12 of 18 3-pointers. Bennerman was near-perfect on the night, making five of his six field-goal attempts, all three of his 3-pointers and all six of his free throws, in easily his most complete game of the season. He is now averaging 10.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game on the year.
"I think Cam is off to a really good start this year," Wolfpack coach Herb Sendek said. "Tonight is as well as he has played all year. He was consistent on both ends of the floor. We really need him to be at his best, because he is so talented and he does make a great difference for our team."
Now, the Wolfpack (8-1, 1-0 ACC) goes on the road Wednesday to play at Alabama, take a few days off for Christmas, then play at home against New Hampshire on Dec. 28.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
