On any given basketball game day for the Fairfield Stags, first-year forward Brandon Benjamin can be found at center court, donning number 20 and preparing to dominate the game.
Benjamin’s career with the Stags has been historic already. He recently set a new program record for rebounds in a first-year season, previously held by Drew Henderson in the 1989-1990 season with 220. Benjamin’s active tally is 265.
The six-foot-eight forward is currently averaging a double-double and ranks second in the nation with 4.44 offensive rebounds per contest. He rounds out his impressive stat line with a .589 field goal percentage and 1.64 blocks per game, both of which are second in the MAAC.
This Monday, Benjamin was named MAAC Rookie of the Week for the third consecutive week, marking his seventh total honor in this category. Alongside this came his first recognition as MAAC Player of the Week, after averaging 19.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game against Sacred Heart and Marist.
For many fans, Benjamin has solidified himself as a Stag in their hearts and minds. Unofficially, Benjamin has been a Stag for years. He has been familiarizing himself with North Benson Road since his freshman year of high school, a year before he got his first offer as a sophomore. “I’ve been on so many unofficial visits, so I already knew the campus,” Benjamin shared.
During his prep year at St. Thomas Moore in Oakdale, Conn, Fairfield recruiters visited Benjamin’s practices “like every other day,” and continued to build a strong connection with the future Stag.
The story of the star forward making things official with Fairfield still brings a smile to Benjamin’s face, especially when he recalls the phone calls with head coach Chris Casey and assistant coach Taj Benning.
“I called Taj late and night and was like ‘yo, I’m about to commit, I’m coming to Fairfield,’” Benjamin said. At first, Benning didn’t believe him, since the two often joked around with each other. Once he realized Benjamin was serious, Benning asked when he planned to tell Casey. Benjamin told him it would be within three days at most.
It didn’t take that long.
The very next day, as Benjamin was walking to the gym after class, he got a phone call from Benning. “I’m not gonna lie, I can’t wait,” Benning said. “I got Casey on the phone, tell him.”
Benjamin took the opportunity and shared the news with his future head coach.
“I couldn’t stop smiling,” Benjamin recounted. “I was smiling for so long, and I could tell Casey was smiling. I could hear it through the phone.”
Another point of joy for Benjamin comes from talking about his teammates. On a scale of one to ten, they all get a perfect score, especially his fellow first-years. “Those are my guys,” Benjamin said.
Before Fairfield, Benjamin had the chance to familiarize himself with his future teammates, unaware of their shared fate.
Firstly, Tony Williams was Benjamin’s rival. While describing his relationship with Williams, Benjamin recalled that he lost by just two points in a championship game to his future teammate. Nonetheless, Williams reached out to him and told Benjamin to play for Fairfield in the future, “Before we even played each other, he was just texting me to come to Fairfield.”
Benjamin’s connection with Nasir Rodriguez and Halon Rawlins stretches back even further. The three participated in the Amateur Athletic Union in grade school, with Rodriguez and Rawlins as teammates. “We always basically knew each other,” Benjamin said.
Then, attending Bergen Catholic alongside Benjamin was Declan Wucherpfennig, with whom Benjamin shares a close relationship today.
The same on-court chemistry that Fairfield fans see from the pair of first-years was present back then. Ever since high school, they were “just always the duo.”
“Our chemistry has just always been there,” Benjamin reflected. That chemistry has kept Benjamin playing at his best.
“Me and Declan be going at it,” he shared. “Especially in games, you could see we steal each other’s rebounds. I could get the ball, and he’d take it right out of my hand. He could get the ball, and I’d take it right out of his hand.”
That competitiveness expressed by Benjamin has translated into his successes.
But the added attention as a result of his play is still a confusing topic for the first-year.
“To me, it’s 50/50. The pressure is there, but at the same time I really don’t feel it,” Benjamin said. “I just be having fun, I just do me.”
Finding out how to be himself and how that fits into this Stags team has been a bit of a process for Benjamin, and the tri-captains have been an essential part of it. Luke Davidson helped the first-year find his voice. The senior pointed out Benjamin’s influence within the team.
“He always tells me to make sure to use my voice. A lot of people would listen to me, and I never really noticed until I started doing it,” Benjamin said.
Senior guard Braden Sparks and graduate guard Deuce Turner have been instrumental in sharpening Benjamin’s on-court presence.
“With Braden, he’d help me or show me film, same with Deuce,” Benjamin said. After meeting Turner for the first time, the tri-captain instantly got to work and reached out to the rookie with notes on film: “He’d tell me what I can improve on. It was pretty cool.”
Off the court, Benjamin enjoys being part of the Fairfield basketball family, a feeling that goes back to before he had even committed. Outside of basketball, he likes getting to know his fellow Stags. “It’s really nice to meet new people, make more friends,” he said.
Looking forward, the rookie has a list of to-dos to check off before the season concludes: “I’m trying to break the double-double record [14]. I’m trying to keep the average of a double-double. And probably, getting like 300 rebounds.”
With Fairfield throughout his career, there’s even more work to be done: “I’m trying to get a thousand rebounds. And then get Rookie of the Year, and maybe Player of the Year the year after that.”
Benjamin has the support system to fuel him upwards. In a recent interview with The Mirror, Casey praised Benjamin for his hard work: “He’s just a warrior, you know. He’s a team guy,” Casey shared. “When you watch him play, you see he gets payback for the work he puts in.”
From home, the support continues with his grandma and father. “My grandma is probably the happiest,” Benjamin shared. “And then my dad, even though he’s hard on me. When he saw I was second in the nation for rebounding, he was like ‘Oh, no way.’ He’s just, oh my god, he’s happy as hell.”
To describe his season so far in one word, Benjamin chose “electric.” “Our team is really good, but we’re still trying to figure out how to keep that energy in the second half. We have our moments, but we have the chance to be really good.”
Benjamin and the Stags are back in action Sunday afternoon at Saint Peter’s. Opening tip is set for 2:00 p.m.