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Corona senior hoping unselfishness leads to promising results

By Brian Gomez

   LYNWOOD, Calif. ¾ The games are more competitive, the travel schedules are grueling and the surroundings are completely different, but Corona del Sol High School senior point guard T.J. Benson has proven to be just as unselfish this summer when playing in the nation’s top club basketball tournaments.

   Some players try to alter their games to fit the needs of college coaches watching high-profile tournaments, like the Adidas Big Time and the Adidas Double Pump. They become more offensive-minded, leaving their defensive skills and general court awareness by the wayside amid a flurry of jump shots.

   But Benson’s not your typical basketball player. He’s so unselfish that he often makes his teammates look good, while clouding his own image in front of some scouts infatuated with big numbers, not smooth passes and crisp ball-handling.

   “I’ve got to run the offense, be a leader and play defense,” said Benson, whose Arizona Cagers club team competed in the Adidas Best of Summer tournament last week at Lynwood (Calif.) High School. “It’s just a bonus when I score.”

   Head coach Gary Trousdale’s 10-man traveling squad is loaded with Division I prospects, meaning Benson must improve his game to get noticed.

   That can be quite a daunting task when he’s playing alongside guys like Mesa High senior forward Lee Cummard and Apache Junction senior combo guard Steve Elman, both of whom have attracted attention from several big-name schools.

   “T.J. is in that role where he kind of gets left out,” Trousdale said. “The other guys are shining and he really doesn’t get an opportunity, but the college coaches know who can play.”

   Benson is trying to maintain the same consistency he showed earlier this summer when helping lead the Aztecs to the silver division championship of Gilbert High’s Just Hoops Desert Classic. His shooting touch is still there, evidenced by the fact that he scored 14 of his team’s first 16 points last month during an Adidas Big Time game in Las Vegas.

   Despite not being as big as most of his counterparts, Benson has learned how to handle physical guards looking to take advantage of easy paths to the hoop. The 155-pounder has also developed a better knack for creating his own shot from the outside, especially on the move.

   “There are tons and tons of better players than me,” Benson said. “In high school, I’m probably the best player on our team. On the club team, I’m probably our fifth-best player and I have a different role than I do in high school.”

   The upcoming high school season will weigh heavily on Benson’s chances of playing at the next level. Benson isn’t being tabbed a prize recruit, but he has garnered preliminary interest from a few Division I schools.

   “If you play at the next level, you can’t be intimated,” Benson said. “You hear these guys publicized all over the place and when you finally go see them, you realize they’re damn good.”

Winterbottom also impresses

   Trousdale said Corona senior forward Dan Winterbottom raised his stock this summer when playing for the Cagers’ second-string team. He predicts Winterbottom will soon be recruited by many Division II and NAIA schools.

   “He hasn’t had the time to learn how to play facing the basket,” Trousdale said. “In high school, he’s stuck playing inside. He should be a guard or a small forward.”

Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@wranglernews.com or visit him online at http://sundevils.freeyellow.com/briangomez.html.

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