More Top Picks Best 4 Door Refrigerators
player ready...With a season-high 32 points, Hinsdale South senior Barret Benson showed a few moves that few 6-foot-10 high school basketball players are capable of.
Benson had 15 points and 10 rebounds by halftime of the Hornets’ 63-50 victory over Metea Valley (5-6) Tuesday, Dec. 29, in the quarterfinals of the 42nd annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic in Elmhurst. Benson finished with 15 rebounds and shot 13 for 19 in a dominating performance.
After going 1-3 last season in their tournament debut at York, Hinsdale South (9-2) advanced to the semifinals at 8 p.m. Wednesday against Naperville North.
“(Benson) is nowhere close to where he needs to be, but the steps he has taken in four years has amazed me,” Hinsdale South coach Brett Moore said.
The Northwestern-bound center scored just four points in the third quarter before taking over in the fourth. With 1 minute, 54 seconds remaining, he drove from the wing for a slam and then followed Diamond Anderson’s missed layup on a fastbreak with a rebound and two-handed dunk. He scored on turn-around jumpers from 10 and 12 feet in the final quarter.
“He has put the work in during the offseason,” said senior teammate Sean McCormack. “He is getting used to his body and is quick on his feet.”
Benson, who weighed 255 pounds as a sophomore, is now 245. He attributes his agility to a three-year training program with J.R. Kremer of Core 1 Inc. in Downers Grove. Kremer, a former defensive back at Northern Illinois, helped Benson in the weight room and worked on drills to improve Benson’s mobility and strength.
“We’ve been doing stuff as I get used to my body more,” said Benson, who has outgrown his brother Brock, a 6-8 senior at Hope College. “We’ve worked with rubber bands and we’ve done hip work to help me become more explosive. J.R. knows a lot about the weight room.”
Twitter @geomwilcox