New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Hamden Hall’s Benigni all-area MVP in boys basketball
Sean Doherty knew he was adding another high-volume scorer when Jackson Benigni decided to transfer from Xavier to Hamden Hall for the 2018-19 boys basketball season. Benigni was another player who could help the Hornets defend their Fairchester Athletic Association tournament title.
But Doherty, Hamden Hall’s second-year head coach, was unaware of Benigni’s inner drive. His desire to succeed and do whatever it takes to win.
“I didn’t take into account the amount of constant energy and effort Jackson has,” Doherty said. “The confidence he has playing on both ends, I didn’t take that into consideration. I knew he was good, but to be honest, he is so much more than that, I found out.”
Benigni left the CIAC to reclassify as a junior at Hamden Hall, joining an established group of three seniors in Byron Breland III, Christian Adames and Tim Dawson. Fitting in was one thing — getting his share of shots on offense was another.
Benigni did better than fit in at Hamden Hall. He ended up being the leading scorer, the NEPSAC Class B Tournament MVP and
the Register’s Area MVP for the 2018-19 season.
“You always talk about winning championships, but actually getting it is the greatest feeling ever,” Benigni said. “I want to keep proving people wrong and show I can play at the next level.”
You look at the 6-foot-1, 180pound Benigni and he may not seem like much. But watch him play on both ends, like Doherty said, and it’s hard to come away not impressed. He was one of the top players in the Southern Connecticut Conference before transferring.
“He has that competitive fire. He wants to argue on a call that doesn’t go his way. He has a chip on his shoulder. He wants to prove he belongs,” Doherty said. “He plays with that edge, I love that about him. Sometimes, I would have to calm him down, to pick and choose (the battles to fight), but I love and commend his competitive spirit.”
Said Benigni: “I’m not as fast or as quick, but I always make it up in grit and grind. I’m the hardest-working person you will ever meet. I don’t have that much athleticism or quickness, but I make it up in other categories.”
Benigni, who turns 18 next month, averaged a team-leading 21.0 points, along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals per game for the Hornets. He made 85 3-pointers this season, shooting at a 41 percent clip.
He saved his best performances for the biggest games. In the Fairchester League tournament final at St. Luke’s in New Canaan. Benigni scored a gamehigh 34 points as Hamden Hall won in double overtime, 88-82.
Hamden Hall won the NEPSAC Class B Division a week later. In the semifinals, he made six 3-pointers in the second half as the Hornets rallied to win. Then in the final the following day, Benigni scored a game-high 32 points, including eight 3pointer, and added six steals to help earn tournament MVP honors.
“To be honest, I didn’t even know there was one (an MVP award) until I heard my name,” Benigni said. “I said, ‘What’s that for?’ They told me I won the MVP. All I cared about was winning a championship. The MVP was just a bonus.”
Doherty said Benigni has already “received low Division I and Division II interest.” Benigni recently made an unofficial visit to Division I Drexel.
Benigni is playing for the We Are One AAU outfit. He has been and will continue to play across the nation, getting the type of exposure he desires — and needs — to gain even more interest from colleges.
“There will be a lot of Division I coaches at his games,” Doherty said. “If Jackson has a Jacksontype game in the right environment, who knows. You will not have to worry about him in the classroom (Benigni has close to a 4.0 GPA). He will be your host in an official visit (for an incoming recruit). That’s who you want to have do it.”