Local star leads Arizona into March Madness

Bennedict Mathurin probably isn't a household name in Montreal, but the 19-year-old is doing everything he can to get his hometown to pay attention.

Mathurin is the best player on an Arizona Wildcats team that heads into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed in the South Division and is ranked No. 2 overall. The guard led the Wildcats to a Pac-12 Conference title, earning most outstanding player honours in the conference tournament after exploding for 27 points in the championship game against the UCLA Bruins.

Adding to his list of accolades, Mathurin was named Pac-12 player of the year and Associated Press second team all-american after averaging 17.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 37.6 per cent from behind the three-point arc this season.

Arizona has a legitimate opportunity to make it deep in this year's NCAA Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness, because of its reputation for late-game heroics and devastating upsets.

Coming in with such a high ranking certainly puts pressure on Arizona to perform on the biggest stage, which might prove difficult in a South Division with proven winners like Villanova, Tennessee, Illinois and Ohio State. Arizona finished the season undefeated at home and 31-3 overall.

Mathurin's road to Arizona began in Montreal North, where he was born and raised, playing hockey, football and basketball.

Deciding to focus on basketball, Mathurin attended the NBA Academy Latin America in Mexico City before committing to Arizona as a six-foot-six, four-star recruit in 2019.

Last summer, Mathurin was selected to play for Team Canada in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Latvia, where he averaged 16.1 points and four rebounds. He had two 30-point games in the tournament, the first against Japan, and the other coming in a bronze medal win over Serbia, in which Mathurin was 11-for-11 from inside the three-point arc and nine of 10 from the free-throw line.

After being projected as a late first-round pick in the NBA draft after his freshman season at Arizona, Mathurin decided to remain with the Wildcats to hone his skills.

The gamble seems to have paid off as he might wind up a top-10 lottery pick in this year's draft.

The past two years have been a whirlwind of success for Mathurin, joining other local players who have enjoyed success on the basketball stage, including Montreal's Chris Boucher, who won a championship with the Raptors in 2019.

Mathurin, though, could push the boundaries even farther, with a chance at an NCAA national championship and be chosen as a top-10 pick in the NBA draft.