TicketsFeb. 18, 2009
By MARK SCHMETZER
Not that she had much of a choice, but if Tenishia Benson could have picked any time to suffer a concussion, it probably would not have been mid-December.
The University of Cincinnati sophomore guard was left with what was described to her by physicians as a Level 2 concussion after colliding with a teammate in practice on Dec. 11. The injury not only kept her sidelined for the Bearcats' next five games, it also occurred just as she and thousands of her student peers were preparing for finals. That's not the challenge anybody wants to face while struggling with the effects of a concussion.
"I actually didn't feel the symptoms until the next day," Benson said. "I definitely had a headache. That was the most constant thing for the whole entire week -- a headache and a stiff neck from the whiplash. I was sensitive to sound, and I had to wear cotton balls in my ears so the sound wouldn't be as loud. I had trouble remembering things, and it was difficult to concentrate. I was just feeling drowsy and slow. I wasn't able to verbalize. I had a big problem with stuttering."
Benson finally was able to shake off the symptoms and gain clearance to play in time for UC's BIG EAST opener, Jan. 3 against Villanova at Fifth Third Arena. She came off the bench to play 15 minutes in a 61-54 Cincinnati victory.
Even though UC won four of the five games Benson missed -- losing only at Michigan, 65-50 -- having her available to come off the bench certainly left second-year coach J. Kelley Hall feeling more comfortable. The versatile, 5-foot-9 Benson, who played in all 28 of the Bearcats' games last season and started 23, has become a key member of UC's rotation.
She averages about 18 minutes per game this season -- the highest among the non-starters. Hall considers her almost a third starter with fourth-year junior Kahla Roudebush and true senior Angel Morgan at the wing positions.
"They all get minutes at the wing," Hall said. "It almost doesn't matter which one is in there. When she missed those five games, it took away from our depth. It was tough, no question. It cost us in the Michigan game. They hurt us with their style of play. We missed her defense and rebounding."
Benson got plenty of opportunities to display her many skills last season as a true freshman, when injury problems opened up spots in UC's starting lineup. She became the first Bearcat freshman since Shelly Bellman (2005) to lead the team in scoring in her first collegiate start by scoring 25 against Valparaiso, and she finished the season averaging 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, including three double-doubles.
"Last year, I didn't have time to think about being a freshman," said Benson, who graduated from Archbishop Hoban High School (in Akron, Ohio) as the program's career scoring leader and was named Division II first-team all-state as a senior. "When I was playing defense or shooting the ball or running plays, I didn't think about being a freshman, because that's what was needed. I didn't have time to adjust going from high school to college."
With the return of Bellman and senior Michelle Jones from the medical issues that cost them all of last season, Benson has had to adjust this season to working off the bench. Instead of getting time to get into the flow of a game, she has to step in and make a more immediate impact. Hall likes the talents she brings to that role. "Tenishia is a very good defender, and she was a very good rebounder last year," he said. "If you leave her open and she gets a good look, she can hurt you shooting (the three-point shot)."
Benson didn't mind the change in roles, believing she plays with a level of intensity that can provide a spark.
"Coach wants me bringing intensity to light the other players up," she said. "The others are out there longer, and they might be down a little. Both roles have their pros and cons, and I can't say which one was the best. My focus has never been on starting. I definitely know my role, whatever it is, and if it needs to change year by year for our team to win, I'm OK with that. Everybody on the team knows their roles. If you're a three-point shooter, you have to make sure to get out there and shoot those threes.
"This year, I think I have the experience to go out there and fix things that aren't right. Maybe I can be more aggressive because I've been able to sit and watch. From high school on, that's always been my cup of tea. I like pressing. I have long arms, and I'm a little quicker and longer than most guards. I definitely get a lot of deflections. Coach looks for me to do the dirty work, and he knows I don't mind getting hit. When he puts me in, he's really looking for help on the defensive end. If I don't hurt the team on offense, that's OK, but he's looking to make his press better."
Benson was ranked as Ohio's top perimeter player by Ohio Girls Basketball Report at the time she signed her letter-of-intent with UC during the early signing period in November 2006. Though she was recruited by several schools, her decision wasn't that difficult, she said.
"The recruiting process is long," said Benson, who recently changed her major from communications to speech pathology. "It's definitely draining and tiring. I already knew a majority of the girls at UC. I'd played with or against Michelle Jones, Angel Morgan and Stephanie Stevens for a while. Those were girls I already knew, so I definitely felt comfortable going to a place where I already knew the girls."
Benson approached her change in majors with the same fervor she applied to her new role with the Bearcats.
"I'd done public speaking for quite some time now," she said. "Persuasive speaking -- giving different types of speeches -- was a bit too easy. I took my first public speaking class when I was in the seventh grade. The things I was learning were almost repetitive. I decided that if I'm coming here for four years, I'm going to take courses that challenge me. I decided on speech pathology because I had to do speech pathology when I was in grade school and had some trouble with my s's." She also was just as composed when Laurie Pirtle, the coach who'd recruited her, left and was replaced by Hall.
"I didn't make the decision to come here because of the coaching staff," she said. "Obviously, that can change. If I'd made the decision because of the coaching staff, I probably wouldn't be here. It wasn't that close of a call. It was really quite easy. I didn't even make any official visits. I knew I was coming to UC because of the girls."
Hall has several reasons to be happy that Benson maintained her commitment. One is her dependability at the free throw line, which makes her even more valuable in the last minutes of games. Benson led the Bearcats and ranked third in the BIG EAST last season with an .831 free throw percentage (69-of-83), including a string of 23 straight made free throws that snapped the program record of 21 set by Valerie King during the 2002-03 season. Benson went 11-for-11 against Valparaiso, matching King for the second-best single-game effort in program history.
In her return from her concussion, she went three-for-four on free throws, which actually lowered her season percentage from .800 (12-for-15) to .789 (15-of-19). "In late-game situations, we have her handling the ball, because we know that if she goes to the line, there's a good chance that she's going to make it," Hall said.
(This story was previously printed in the Bearcat Sports Digest.)