Ryan Broekhoff
April 5, 2021
Keith Benson
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 13/08/88
- Place of Birth: Farmington Hills, Michigan (USA)
- Position: CTR
- Height (CM): 211
- Weight (KG): 105
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Oakland (2007–2011)
- NBL DEBUT: 20/09/19
- AGE AT DEBUT: 31
- LAST NBL GAME: 31/12/19
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 31
- NBL History: South East Melbourne 2020
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Keith Benson was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Benson attended Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Michigan.
On the Detroit Country Day basketball team, Benson averaged only 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a senior.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Keith Benson made his NBL debut with the South East Melbourne Phoenix at 31 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game.
South East Melbourne entered the NBL as its newest franchise under inaugural coach Simon Mitchell, building its roster around marquee signing Mitch Creek. Ben Madgen (via Europe), Adam Gibson (via Brisbane), Kyle Adnam (via Sydney), Dane Pineau (via Sydney), John Roberson (via Russia) and Tai Wesley (via New Zealand) were among the additions before the Phoenix used their final import spot on Keith Benson (via Germany) on August 1. Benson had spent the previous season with Eisbären Bremerhaven and joined Roberson and Wesley as South East Melbourne’s three imports.
South East Melbourne’s first-ever regular-season game came against cross-town rivals Melbourne United on October 3 in the inaugural Throwdown. Benson (7 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block) provided minutes off the bench as Creek (28 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block) and Roberson (20 points) led the Phoenix to a 91-88 victory, while Shawn Long (26 points, 13 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) was Melbourne’s best. South East Melbourne made 12 of 23 three-pointers, but the victory came at a cost when Wesley (8 points) suffered a hamstring injury after playing only five minutes.
Benson (5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds across 16 games) came off the bench in all 16 of his appearances, shooting 50 percent from the field while averaging 11.1 minutes per game. Jaye Crockett (via Lebanon) was signed as Wesley’s injury replacement after the opening game, with South East Melbourne starting its inaugural season 3-0 before reaching the midpoint of the campaign at 6-6. Benson did not play against New Zealand on November 9 or Perth on December 8 while still on the roster, with no specific injury reported for either absence.
Benson’s best game of the season came against Melbourne United on November 16, where he made 8 of 12 field-goal attempts and finished with a season-high 20 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 5 blocks in just under 19 minutes. Creek (27 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Gibson (10 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) provided support, but Melo Trimble (22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) led Melbourne to a 96-95 victory.
Benson’s final game for South East Melbourne came in Cairns on December 31, where he finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal as Roberson (19 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Creek (16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) led the Phoenix. Scott Machado (29 points and 8 assists) led Cairns to a 92-84 victory, leaving South East Melbourne with an 8-10 record.
South East Melbourne parted ways with Benson (to Shabab Al Ahli) on January 4 after 16 appearances, with the import signing in Dubai two days later. Devondrick Walker (via France) subsequently joined the Phoenix for the final eight games as South East Melbourne changed the balance of its import rotation. Benson’s absence from the remainder of the season was therefore the result of his departure from the roster rather than injury.
South East Melbourne were led by Creek (20.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals across 26 games) and Roberson (20.2 points and 5.6 assists across 28 games), while Madgen (12.1 points and 4.8 rebounds across 28 games), Wesley (10.7 points and 4.3 rebounds across 18 games), Adnam (9.1 points across 28 games), Pineau (8.1 points and 8.7 rebounds across 28 games) and Gibson (6.7 points across 22 games) provided the other major contributions. The Phoenix led the NBL in scoring at 95.4 points per game, but won only three of their final 16 games, with Creek named the club’s inaugural MVP and Pineau finishing runner-up for the NBL’s Most Improved Player award.
Benson had already departed when South East Melbourne finished its season against Melbourne United on February 16, where Madgen (23 points and 4 rebounds) and Wesley (20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led the Phoenix while Chris Goulding (28 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) led Melbourne to a 109-90 victory, completing South East Melbourne’s eight-game losing streak and leaving the Phoenix second-last with a 9-19 record.
Keith Benson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 16 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 31 | South East Melbourne | 9-19 (8) | 16 | 177 | 92 | 63 | 5 | 31 | 32 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 29 | 34 | 68 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 24 | 33 | 73% | 56% | 50% | 20 | Totals | 16 | 177 | 92 | 63 | 5 | 31 | 32 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 29 | 34 | 68 | 50.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 24 | 33 | 72.7% | 56% | 50% | 20 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 31 | South East Melbourne | 9-19 (8) | 16 | 11.1 | 5.8 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 4.3 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 1.5 | 2.1 | 73% | 56% | 50% | 20 | Total | 16 | 11.1 | 5.8 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 4.3 | 50.0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 1.5 | 2.1 | 72.7% | 56% | 50% | 20 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 20 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
Keith Benson was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with pick #48 in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Won a G-League Championship with Sioux Falls in 2016 and was named in the G-League All-First Team in 2017.
Benson played games in the NBA. He averaged 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists per game over his NBA career.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Belarus - Tsmoki-Minsk (2013–2014) | Bulgaria - Levski Sofia (2021) | China - Shaanxi Wolves (2014), Guizhou White Tigers (2017) | Estonia - BC Kalev/Cramo (2015) | Germany - Eisbären Bremerhaven (2018–2019) | Greece - Aris Thessaloniki (2017) | Italy - Dinamo Sassari (2011) | Japan - Osaka Evessa (2018) | Lithuania - Neptūnas (2014–2015), Rytas (2020–2021), Juventus Utena (2022–2023) | Mongolia - Zavkhan Brothers (2023) | Philippines - Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (2013) | Taiwan - Kaohsiung Steelers (2021–2022), Taichung Suns (2023) | Turkey - Banvit (2014) | United Arab Emirates - Shabab Al Ahli (2020)
Keith Benson’s professional career outside the United States has included stints in Italy, the Philippines, Belarus, China, Lithuania and Estonia, and he has played in more than 10 different countries across Europe and Asia.
Benson’s first overseas move came in Italy, where he signed with Dinamo Sassari on August 18, 2011, before being released on October 31, 2011.
He later played in the Philippines, signing with Talk N Text Tropang Texters on January 17, 2013, and in the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup he averaged 23.6 points, 15.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game before being released on March 7, 2013.
In Belarus, Benson signed with Tsmoki-Minsk on August 19, 2013, and in EuroChallenge play he averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds over 12 games.
He moved to China in 2014, signing with the Shaanxi Wolves on April 25, 2014, and then joined Turkish club Banvit on August 1, 2014, before departing on September 20, 2014.
Benson began the 2014–15 season in Lithuania after signing with Neptūnas on October 31, 2014, and he remained there until leaving on February 27, 2015.
On February 27, 2015, he signed with BC Kalev/Cramo in Estonia for the rest of the season.
In 2017 he had a two-game stint in China with the Guizhou White Tigers before signing a one-year deal with Aris Thessaloniki in Greece on September 28, 2017, and in the Basketball Champions League he averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds across nine games, including a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double against Promitheas on December 2, 2017.
Benson moved to Japan in January 2018 to join Osaka Evessa, and he spent the 2018–19 season in Germany with Eisbären Bremerhaven.
In January 2020 he signed with Shabab Al Ahli in the United Arab Emirates, and on December 17, 2020 he returned to Lithuania by signing with Rytas, where he appeared in three Basketball Champions League games in 2021 and averaged 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in that competition.
Benson signed with Levski Sofia in Bulgaria on February 8, 2021, and later that year he joined the Kaohsiung Steelers in Taiwan, where he averaged 18.0 points and 13.47 rebounds per game over 15 appearances while playing alongside imports Anthony Tucker and Taylor Braun and later sharing the frontcourt with Anthony Bennett.
In 2022–23 he played again in Lithuania with Juventus Utena, then signed with the Taichung Suns in Taiwan in March 2023 after being registered as an import on March 8, and he later played in Mongolia with Zavkhan Brothers.
COLLEGE
Keith Benson attended Detroit Country Day School in Michigan and initially committed to Fairfield, but after a coaching change he switched his commitment and signed with Oakland after the Golden Grizzlies offered him a scholarship.
Benson played at Oakland from 2007–08 through 2010–11, developing from a part-time starter into one of the most decorated big men in Summit League history while finishing his career with 1,903 points (13th in league history) and 1,103 rebounds (2nd in league history).
As a freshman in 2007–08, Benson started 20 of 29 games and averaged 5.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks, including 40 blocks on the season, which left him one shy of Oakland’s single-season record at the time.
He broke out as a sophomore in 2008–09 by starting all 36 games and jumping to 14.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 62.2 percent from the field.
Benson’s junior season in 2009–10 turned him into a national mid-major headline as he averaged 17.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game, was named Summit League Player of the Year, and won the Lou Henson Award as the nation’s top mid-major player.
In the 2010 NCAA Tournament, Benson delivered one of his signature performances with 28 points and nine rebounds against Pittsburgh in the Round of 64, and later that same season he helped Oakland announce itself nationally with a 26-point, 10-rebound performance in an upset win over No. 7 Tennessee.
As a senior in 2010–11, Benson averaged 17.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game, repeated as Summit League Player of the Year, added Summit League Defensive Player of the Year (the first in league history to win both in the same season), earned AP All-America honorable mention, and set a school single-season blocks record with 127 while becoming the Summit League’s all-time blocks leader with 371.
Benson also anchored Oakland’s back-to-back Summit League tournament championships, scoring 28 points in the 2011 title-game win over Oral Roberts on the way to another NCAA Tournament berth, and he finished his Oakland career with school records including 49 double-doubles and 772 defensive rebounds while becoming just the second player in Summit League history to surpass 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds.
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