Corona's Benson ready for new challenge in 3rd season
June 22, 2012 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365
Corona del Sol's veteran guard Casey Benson is good at meeting challenges. And as he prepares this summer for his third season on coach Sammy Duane Jr.'s varsity, he's up to tackling another.
"I'm trying to become a leader and getting comfortable with it more and more each day, Benson said prior to the first day of play at the 2nd Annual Mesa Summer PrimeTime hoops tournament at Red Mountain High School. "I look at myself as someone that can be a leader. I want to be that on and off the court."
The junior-to-be this fall has met a couple challenges already. Benson managed a starting role with the Aztecs as a freshman in 2010-2011. His ability was part and parcel of a region runner-up to eventual state champion Mesa Mountain View and a 5A-I quarterfinal finish. And last year with the team focused on not falling short of the title with nearly its entire starting lineup back, Corona won the Division I crown convincingly with a 32-1 record and 30 straight wins to cap the campaign. Over his two seasons, Benson is averaging in double-figures in scoring. The rest of his game is likely to pick up with increased responsibility.
Duane Jr. says Benson has already met the leadership challenge.
"He's very unselfish and his experience in two years makes him the right guy," Duane said. "He's a 4.0 student, too. No question he's our leader. He'll have other adjustments to make, which have already started."
With the graduation of standout guard Calaen Robinson and big men Avery Moss and Andrus Peat, Benson and now-senior Bryan Seifker are the lone returning starters. Offensively, Benson the guy opponents are looking to stop now, and its odd watching the Aztecs without the inside presence of Moss and Andrus.
"He's finding already teams are coming after him," Duane Jr. said. "He can handle it. He likes to score, but he can create a lot of different ways. He can put it on the floor, and make things happen for himself or others."
Benson is loyal to Corona and overatures to have him play with Westwind Prep's national team this season were ultimately turned down.
"Corona is a real good situation for me," Benson said. "I have a great coach in coach Duane, lots of good friends. I enjoy the high school experience, and I'm having fun. This is a time of my life I want to enjoy."
Benson's third season won't magically translate into another stellar one as the Aztecs are a work in progress replacing the aforementioned four starters. Corona, seeded No. 2 in the eight-team event, showed that Friday night as it fell to No. 7 Desert Vista, 41-30. Desert Vista outplayed Corona, but barely 20 percent shooting from the field by the Aztecs contributed heavily to the defeat.
In other first-round games Friday, top-seed Pinnacle crushedNo. 8 Basha, 61-34; No. 4 Brophy edged No. 5 Mesa Mountain View, 51-46 and No. 3 Mesa turned up the offense in the second half to top No. 6 Mountain Pointe, 42-22.
The semifinals and finals of the tournament are Saturday (June 23) morning at Red Mountain. The semifinals are set for 11 a.m. with Pinnacle and Brophy facing off and Mesa tangling with Desert Vista. The winners of those games meet in the final at 1 p.m. Consolation games at 10 a.m. pit Basha and Mountain View and Mountain Pointe against Corona del Sol. Those winners meet at noon in the consolation final.
