Canadian sensation Vegas showstopper
Toronto-born Bennett top freshman in NCAA game with high NBA hopes amid national hoops ‘golden age’
LAS VEGAS— With just under seven minutes left in the first half against Air Force Academy last Saturday, UNLV’s sixfoot-eight star Anthony Bennett did something that shocked press row: the power forward flubbed a dunk attempt.
“Not in practice, never in a game. I’ve never seen that,” said Mike Grimala, a beat writer for RunRebs.com.
The Toronto-born Bennett is 18 games into his college career. After an incredibly hot start to the season with countless rim-rattling dunks while showing a deft shooting touch — he started off this game with two threes and a sweet midrange jumper — he’s been averaging 19 points and just less than nine rebounds.
He is ranked No. 1 among freshmen in NCAA basketball, a legitimate player of the year candidate and potential topfive NBA draft pick.
Despite weighing in at 240 pounds — most of it muscle, which earned him the nickname A Beast (although he goes by simply AB) — Bennett says adjusting to the size of the competition has been his biggest challenge.
“Everybody’s strong,” says Bennett, whose numbers suggest he’s making the transition just fine. “Everybody’s physical. In high school, I didn’t have to do a lot because I was probably the strongest on the floor, but here everybody is as big or as strong as you. It’s kind of hard adjusting, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.”
So he’s modest, too. And yes, he’s Canadian, stereotypically so to the Americans he plays in front of now. Born in the Jane-Finch area, his family moved to Brampton before his teens.
Last Saturday’s game showcased what sets him apart. He entered as a 75 per cent free-throw shooter but missed six of eight and late in the game, exhausted, was held up by two teammates in a huddle. It turns out he was sick. Despite that, Bennett led all players with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Final score: 7671 UNLV, improving to 14-3.
Much of the focus on Canadian basketball’s future has been on budding superstar Andrew Wiggins of Thornhill, the No. 1-ranked high school player already projected to go first overall in the NBA draft as early as 2014.
But with Bennett, Tristan Thompson — the highest drafted Canadian ever, at No. 4 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011— and Montreal’s Khem Birch, UNLV’s six-foot-nine centre, the national program has a growing pool of high-end talent to consider.
“We’re very fortunate to have two Canadians on our team. They are a big part of what we’re doing. They are 40 per cent of our starting five,” said Dave Rice, coach of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. “I think one of the common denominators of the two is just what good people they are. Just great teammates, and both find winning extremely important.”
UNLV’s raucous supporters know their Canadian hoops, and wouldn’t mind seeing more players from north of the border. In a growing tradition, Runnin’ Rebels fans wave Big Heads — large signs depicting players and other famous Vegas figures. Bennett’s Big Head is based on his signature move: flexing his muscles after a monster dunk. There are also Canadian flags and one with a large maple leaf and Runnin’ Rebels mascot — flown whenever Bennett or Birch does something amazing.
The fans here know Canadian basketball is on the rise.
“Oh yeah, definitely, I feel like this is the golden age,” says Birch. There are other guys even younger than us, like Andrew (Wiggins) and others. Canada Basketball is coming up.”
That’s echoed by Rowan Barrett, assistant general manager and executive vice-president of Canada’s senior men’s basketball program, who is very proud of Bennett and the other youngsters coming up. “I’m always about: What can we do to raise the profile and get Canada excited about these players that are going down into America and really dominating Americans in basketball, which is not something that you normally see.”
Barrett chalks up Canada’s improving basketball stock to a number of factors, including our diverse melting pot, which attracts kids from the sport’s powerhouse nations, as well as the Raptor effect of having an NBA team here. But while the world’s best young hockey players often come to Canada to play, the reverse is happening with our best going to the U.S.
Bennett could be a big piece of the future of Canadian basketball and whichever NBA team winds up with him. A dominating, demonstrative presence on the court, he’s humble and reserved off it, often deflecting praise to his coaches or teammates. He name-checks all of his coaches — from his first rep team in Brampton on up through club teams and high school — when discussing why he’s doing so well.
Asked what he needs to improve on, he says ball handling and transition moves. He says he doesn’t often look at the boxscore after a game, and when he does it’s to check on his fellow Canadians. He’s suited up for Canada twice in the past two years on the under-17 and under-18 squads and hopes one day to play in the Olympics.
Of course, his American teammates enjoy making fun of his Canadian-ness.
“I feel like this is the golden age. There are other guys even younger than us, like Andrew (Wiggins) and others. Canada Basketball is coming up.” KHEM BIRCH UNLV CENTRE AND ONE OF TWO CANADIANS IN THE RUNNIN’ REBELS STARTING FIVE
“They do it all the time,” says Bennett. “I don’t pay any attention to it. It’s just all fun . . . ‘How’s your day going, eh?’ They just put it on every sentence, all the time. And they always say we talk with an accent. I don’t hear it. ‘Oh, you have a good accent.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ ” While he admits he doesn’t miss the snow, whenever Bennett returns to Canada he hits the nearest Tim Hortons for hot chocolate and a bagel with cream cheese: “Doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer, I’ve got to get a hot chocolate.” Bennett comes across as affable with an easy smile. “He is such a team guy,” says T.E. Parker, who covers UNLV for Rebel-Net and Yahoo’s Rivals.com. “When he’s on the bench, he’ll run past coach Rice to slap the hands of his teammates as they come over. How many guys do that? How many star players do that? None. He’s a different breed.” Was there ever an individual moment, though, when Bennett felt he belonged in the NCAA — a specific dunk, posterizing some opponent? Can the nice guy brag a little? “There’s been so many of them, so I can’t really pick one out,” he says, laughing.
It’s true. His monster dunks are all over YouTube.
As far as his future in the NBA, Bennett says he isn’t focusing on it yet. He calls the New York Knicks his favourite team, mainly because Carmelo Anthony is his favourite player. Asked about potentially playing for the Raptors, though, his answer is sweet music to a Toronto fan’s ears.
“That would be so crazy. But yeah, I definitely would like to play for Toronto, just represent the whole hometown team,” he says. “I know things would get crazy since everybody I know is from Toronto, so they’ll probably ask me for a lot of things. But other than that, just playing there and being so close to home, you can’t ask for anything better.”