THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 18, 1995 TAG: 9501180558
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
In her two years at Old Dominion, junior Esther Benjamin has found herself on both sides of the fence when it comes to success.
A highly touted recruit coming out of high school in Valdosta, Ga., Benjamin signed early with the Lady Monarchs but later found herself a Proposition 48 casualty. Incoming freshman athletes are subjected to certain standards in order to be eligible, one of which is a minimum mandatory score on the SAT college entrance exam.
Benjamin missed qualifying by a point.
Sitting out for a year was ``real hard. I felt like I was going to die,'' Benjamin said. ``Plus it was my first year away from home. I was real heartbroken.''
According to Old Dominion head coach Wendy Larry, playing time was not the only thing Benjamin missed.
``It's punishment enough that a young woman is not allowed to participate in games, but to disassociate her from the rest of the team is like a double whammy,'' she said.
The only contact Benjamin could have with the team concerned academics. She couldn't practice, couldn't train, couldn't even sit on the bench.
``Other than something like study hall, she was in total isolation,'' Larry said.
Benjamin admits that sitting out taught her a valuable lesson about applying herself. Given a second chance, she didn't disappoint. Benjamin suited up for the Lady Monarchs as a sophomore and averaged 3.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and was named to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie team.
This year, the 6-foot-4 center has achieved her career high in points (19 against Winthrop), and equaled her career best for rebounds (10 against Texas Tech and James Madison). A 16-point performance against South Florida and a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) against the Dukes in ODU's conference opener recently earned Benjamin Player of the Week honors in the CAA.
``I'm a lot stronger now. I can take a lot of bumps under the basket and still catch the ball,'' Benjamin said. ``I was a little fragile before.''
Fragile is not a good thing to be for a player in Larry's system. The Lady Monarchs' trademark is a tenacious defense that wears down opponents. Benjamin says that at this point she sees herself as more of a defensive player, a carry-over from time spent with the East team in last summer's Olympic Festival in St. Louis.
``She was forced into a defensive role with that team, and she took some pride in being able to play well. But we want her to change that mentality,'' Larry said. ``She is a good defensive post player, but we need Esther Benjamin to score for us. And she's a good scorer when she wants to be.''
Whether she's scoring, blocking shots (she leads the CAA with 26), or frustrating opponents on defense (she held JMU's Kara Ratliff, an All-CAA player last year, to two points), Benjamin is happy just to be able to step on the floor.
``I just want to be the kind of player that gives something to the team, whether it's offense, defense, or just picking somebody up,'' she said. ``I try to work hard every single day.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Esther Benjamin
by CNB