'06 FL C Jason Bennett (Kansas State Verbal)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

RIVALS.COM

SCOUT.COM

Arlington Country Day High School (Jacksonville, FL)

Ht: 7-2
Wt: 240

He's been on the radar since his 8th grade season. Has improved each year to the point where he's now making some face up shots at 7-foot-1! Excellent shot blocker in his area. Offense is coming around. Would like to see him continue developing his overall game; will play big defensively. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

2005 - High School Basketball:
SOPH, FR Like most big men, he's game is maturing along with his body. He's got talent and has made strides his first two seasons. Must play through frustration. Can block shots and has a touch to short range.

"Offensively, he's a work in progress but getting better every day. He's got a baby hook, a turnaround jumper, and he's working on his drop step move. His offensive game is really developing." -Country Day coach Rex Morgan

Rivals.com update 8/30/05

Miami, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Georgia and Clemson have offered. Due to the coaching change at Cincy, they are off the list. He is interested in Kentucky, North Carolina and UConn.

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scout.com$

9/19/05

Jason Bennett was visited by Clemson coaches this past week. He does not have any official visits scheduled. Bennett will be taking the ACT for the first time next weekend.

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ScoutHoops.com$

9/30/05

Coach: Bennett Thinking Spring


Jason Bennett

By Dave Telep National Recruiting Director
Date: Sep 29, 2005

There could be a huge spring payday awaiting a high-major program this spring. Jacksonville Arlington Country Day senior Jason Bennett could wind up being the spring’s hottest commodity.

Bennett will most likely make a decision in the spring. Michigan visited recently and Clemson, Miami, Syracuse and Georgia have shown interest.

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rivals.com$

10/6/05

UConn, North Carolina and Kentucky are a couple of the schools Bennett is interested in. No mention tOSU.

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scout.com$

1/21/06

Auburn, Alabama, Michigan and Florida State are schools he is interested in. Says he is wide open. No mention of tOSU.

(Closing this one down)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

scout.com$

3/15/06

Quick update.....Bennett has narrowed his list to Auburn, Alabama and Michigan.

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Link

4/13/06

Huggins lands 7-3 star for KSU

BY JEFFREY MARTIN

The Wichita Eagle

His dad wanted him to attend Auburn, and let's be clear -- Jason Bennett wasn't the first teenager, and won't be the last, to defy his father.
But the decision to spite his girlfriend, who wished he'd remain closer to home, too?

Now that took guts.

Give the kid credit, though. He knew Kansas State was the best fit, at least the best fit at the moment. For a 7-foot-3, 265-pound center who is, all at once, an athlete, an enforcer and a hard worker, the goal is clearly the NBA. Despite averaging 12.5 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots at Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Fla., and leading Arlington to consecutive state championships, he's not ready for the League.

That's why he signed a national letter of intent to spend the next two seasons -- nothing more, nothing less -- in Manhattan under the instruction of Bob Huggins, the former Cincinnati coach. Bennett originally committed to the Bearcats as a junior, but after Huggins was forced out, he rescinded his pledge.

Now, he's a Wildcat, the seventh 7-footer in school history.

"Jason is going to be the centerpiece of what we build in the future here at Kansas State," Huggins said in a release. "He is an outstanding shot blocker.... I fully expect Jason to come in and contribute immediately to this program. He is going to get nothing but bigger, stronger and better as we move closer to the fall."

Bennett's high school coach, Rex Morgan, predicts his star center, regarded as the No. 23 prospect in the country by Rivals.com, will average double figures in points and rebounds as a freshman. He believes Bennett is the best defensive big man in the country, including Ohio State signee Greg Oden, who likely would have been the N 1 pick in the NBA Draft this year if an age limit hadn't been implemented.

On the topic of Oden, Morgan can't help himself.

"He's not as athletic as Oden, but he is a good athlete," Morgan said. "He can run the floor. Oden is what I call a freak athlete. He doesn't have the vertical (leap) that Oden does, but I think he would have been the only player in America who could defend Oden.

"Oden backs everyone down and dunks on them. He wouldn't have done that to Jason."

With focused work in the weight room, Huggins and Morgan are convinced Bennett can add another 40 pounds to his frame without sacrificing agility or conditioning. At Cincinnati, the staff worked wonders with Jason Maxiell (Detroit Pistons) and Eric Hicks (draft eligible), two vertically challenged power forwards whose bulk has given both a chance to play professionally.

"I saw what they did with their big man as far as teaching them and helping them gain weight and get stronger," Bennett said. "Coach Huggins has gotten a lot of players to the NBA. I think he can get another one there."

Just as long as it happens within the next two seasons.

"I think that's the plan," Morgan said.

So was announcing his college choice Wednesday on television in Jacksonville, but the secret was out well before. His AAU coach, Art Alvarez, told Powercat Illustrated on Monday, but Morgan and Bennett maintained a decision hadn't been made.

Morgan said Wednesday he thought Bennett was leaning that way, but he couldn't be certain. He said Bennett wanted to make sure his family was comfortable.

Turns out the only person he ended up completely satisfying was his mother, who fell in love with K-State during their visit April 6.

K-State, after an earlier commitment from St Petersburg College (Fla.) forward Kenny Williams, has one scholarship remaining.

Blake Young, a 6-2, 180-pound combo guard from Daytona Beach (Fla.) Community College who's ranked the eighth-best junior college prospect in the country, is the other main target. He has the paperwork from K-State but is scheduled to take a final recruiting trip to Washington this weekend.
He should decide by April 22.