Mater Dei was one of several teams that were on display at the Hoophall Classic recently, and right now they sit as a nationally-ranked program finding tremendous success. The Monarchs are 20-1 overall, as they bring a balanced attack to the floor.
One player that grabbed our attention was 2025 Brandon Benjamin, a 6’5 forward who brings production to the table in a lot of ways. He is averaging 13.6ppg, 8.8rpg, and 3.0apg this season, but when you watch him operate on the court, this is a player that outworks his opponents and plays bigger than listed. Benjamin plays with a tremendous motor and battles when he is on the court; he plays bigger and just has a knack for the ball off the boards, creating second-chance opportunities and finishing effectively with touch around the basket over defenders. Benjamin has tremendous footwork and is quite efficient as a scoring presence, but also plays within what the team needs, making good decisions as well in finding teammates. In all, he brings versatility and production immediately to the court and helps his team in a big way.
What Was Said:
“2025 Brandon Benjamin @MaterDeiHoops was impressive today. This young man COMPETES on the court! Scored well down in the paint, moved well without the ball, found ways to be active, strong on the glass, and made unselfish passes. @HoophallClassic #PhenomHoops”
Phenom 1-on-1:
Phenom: How would you best describe your game and how you impact the game for your team?
Benjamin: I would describe my game as an old-school game mixed in with the new. I think I have impacted this team by just contributing to every stat pretty well.
Phenom: How has everything been going recruiting-wise? What has been the latest?
Benjamin: Right now, I have two offers from Loyola-Marymount and UC San Diego, but outside of them, I have small interest from schools. Nothing major, just kind of going under the radar.
Schools like BYU, Dartmouth, and UC Irvine have been expressing interest.
Phenom: At 6’5 and at your position, your work ethic on the boards and in the paint is impressive. How much do you pride yourself in those areas, as well as finding teammates?
Benjamin: Well, rebounding is an underrated stat now and people don’t focus on them as much, so I need to get those boards so teams don’t get second chances or maybe I can get a putback for two points on my own. For finding my teammates, I have always been told I have good court vision, so I guess that kind of comes naturally.
