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Robert Morris University Athletics

Stephan Bennett

Men's Basketball By Paul Meyer

Meyer On Morris: The Artist Formerly Known As Hawk

Moon Township, Pa. – Midway through last season, Stephan Hawkins became a different player. After last season, Stephan Hawkins became a different person.
 
The result of those changes could mean the 6'9'' junior will become a complete package for Robert Morris this season, a player who will be a strong rebounder and a scorer not only around the rim but also facing the basket and maybe expanding his range to … let's wait on that last piece for a bit.
 
You'll recall that last season when the Colonials faced a personnel shortage that left them with only eight players who dressed for the final 17 games, Hawkins morphed from being a sparingly-used role player into a solid contributor as a starter.
 
Through the first 19 games, Hawkins averaged 15.2 minutes, 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game and shot only 35 percent from the field. However, playing in 16 of the final 17 games, Hawkins averaged 25 minutes, 6.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and shot 53.6 percent from the field.
 
Obviously, the increased playing time led to the increased production. But was there more to it?
 
"Playing a lot more did boost my stats, but it also helped my self-esteem a lot," Hawkins said. "More than anything I wanted to win more, so anything I could do for the team I just tried to do that.''
 
So it was a win-win. Hawkins improved as a player and the Colonials charged to another regular-season Northeast Conference championship before ending their season with a National Invitation Tournament victory at St. John's and a 22-14 record.
 
Then during the offseason, Hawkins decided to change his last name to Bennett to honor his late grandfather, Asa Bennett.
 
"My grandfather died when I was 16, and he was my father figure growing up," Bennett said. "He was hard-working. I looked up to that. I wanted to be like him. He worked every day. He was in graphic design, which is what I'm going to school for right now. He made signs for businesses and companies and grocery stores.''
 
Asa Bennett, who lived in Anderson, Ind., a couple hours from Stephan's home in Gary, Ind., worked every day from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
 
"Sometimes until 10 at night,'' Bennett said. "His work ethic was ridiculous.''
 
Stephan Bennett worked this offseason to emulate his grandfather's work ethic.
 
"He had a very good spring and summer in terms of where his mindset was from a basketball standpoint, whether it was getting stronger or trying to develop some more confidence,'' said RMU head coach Andrew Toole. "In years past, he might not finish around the rim or might shy away from contact. Now I think he's gained some confidence through the weight room and he's not afraid to be physical. From our standpoint he's really worked, and we're looking forward to him having another jump in production like he had last year.''
 
"Hopefully with the Bennett last name I'll do a little bit better on the court,'' Bennett said.
 
The different last name might catch some Robert Morris fans by surprise early this season.
 
"I think I will trick some people,'' Bennett said. "I think the first game when they announce our names it's going to be a big surprise. When the fans and all the students hear Bennett they're going to be like, 'Bennett?'"
 
Yep. Bennett. However, Bennett will still answer to "Hawk."
 
"Because everybody's used to calling me Hawk,'' Bennett said.
 
This season, people also might call him "Three-point shooter.''
 
What?
 
"The jury's still out on that,'' Toole said with a laugh.
 
It could happen, though, for a couple reasons.
 
There is, after all, precedent for a tall, lanky Hoosier shooting, and making, a trey for Robert Morris. Remember Dallas Green draining an improbable three-pointer from the right corner that capped an 80-62 win for the Colonials over Mount St. Mary's in the semifinals of the 2010 NEC Tournament?
 
There's that. There's also this … Last season, Bennett demonstrated a deft touch from 15 to 17 feet, a part of his game that wasn't there as a freshman.
 
A natural progression in range could lead to Bennett taking the occasional trey. Assistant coach Robby Pridgen did work with Bennett on shooting from deep during the offseason, and Toole did note that former RMU star A.J. Jackson, playing as a 6'6'' center, liked to occasionally move out to beyond the arc. Jackson was effective at scoring from international waters.
 
"We're trying,'' Bennett said about expanding his range. "Robby and Toole told me I could shoot the three if I wanted to. I just have to work on it. If I get the opportunity in a game, we'll see.''
 
That we shall.
 
For now, it will be more than enough for the Colonials if Bennett can continue to hone his 17-foot shot in addition to improving his skills around the basket.
 
He will begin this season as a starter, a role he did not have as a freshman and at the beginning of last season. When he did become an established starter midway through last season, there was a noticeable difference in his game.
 
Right from the start.
 
In his first game of the eight-player era, Jan. 23, Bennett made five of eight field goal attempts, grabbed four rebounds and scored 12 points in a rout of Sacred Heart at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Soon after, he averaged 10 points per game in a four-game stretch against NEC opponents.
 
Sure, as we mentioned earlier, increased playing time helped enhance his stats. But again, a lot of that also was mental.
 
"We were comfortable when he moved into that starting role,'' Toole said of himself and his assistants. "He had done some things in practice where he was maybe on the verge of taking over that spot anyway. More importantly, he became comfortable when he moved into that starting spot in terms of really understanding what his minutes would be and how he needed to play. I think a lot of times as coaches we think competition is what's going to make people kind of take that next step."
 
"It was a real confidence booster because I got to be in the game more often,'' Bennett said. "It gave me the opportunity to get more shots up and just build confidence with my teammates.''
 
How much of Bennett's improvement was simply because of his increased playing time and how much hinged on his natural development as he moved into the second half of his sophomore season?
 
"It was maybe 60-40 development,'' Toole said. "It was the development factor from a skill standpoint, from a comfort standpoint being on the court, a comfort of understanding where he was supposed to be and what his rotations were. The other 40 percent was him understanding that whether he made a mistake or not he was going to play aggressively and the way he is capable of. He felt more at ease being on the floor knowing he was going to have the opportunity, and he put in a lot of work to make sure when he did get on the floor that he would be able to produce.''
 
Bennett's ability to make his mid-range jump shot contributed greatly to his increased production. He scored on jump shots in high school, but his shot didn't translate well when he came to Robert Morris. He needed to improve his speed in getting his shot off at the Division I level. Toole and Pridgen worked with him on that constantly.
 
"They've pushed me every day to work on my game,'' Bennett said.
 
"It's something he really likes to do,'' Toole said of Bennett's shot-making ability. "It's something he works on because he likes to be able to make shots. I think he's comfortable facing up and making shots. It's something that was there. He had a good touch in high school.''
 
The touch helped. The increased speed in shooting his shot helped.
 
"He also became more intelligent about some of the positions we put him in where now he's going to be more comfortable and more productive,'' Toole said. "His freshman year, probably a little bit because he hadn't fully developed some of the other skills necessary and wasn't as comfortable away from the basket, we tried to get him a little more back-to-the-basket and use his size around the rim. In his sophomore year, there was more of a balance to that. There are times when you post a guy up and do that. At times, we'll do some things where he can step away and make that 15-footer, which obviously he shot at a high percentage last year.''
 
Again, though, what seemed to help Bennett most was knowing he had become a key member of this team.
 
"I think that's 100 percent true," Toole said. "When Hawk feels good about himself, when he feels comfortable with what people are asking him to do and when he believes he's capable of doing something, he does it. When he's a little bit unsure or maybe a little bit on edge, that creates a little bit of confusion at times. He kind of withdraws when that happens.
 
"Another thing, too, is, and I've never looked at the minutes, there are a lot of people who say you need to play about 500 minutes in your career before you become comfortable. Hawk maybe needed a little more than that, and I would assume if you look at it in his sophomore year probably around Christmas is when he would have hit that mark.''
 
The player formerly known as Hawkins played 417 minutes as a freshman. He slipped past the 500-minute mark RMU's sixth game game last season. By the time the Colonials played Sacred Heart, Jan. 23, at home, he'd played 704 minutes in his career.
 
"Now all of a sudden, he's comfortable in games, with scouting reports and with plays,'' Toole said, "All of that obviously is helping him become the kind of player we think he can be.''
 
In sum, Stephan Hawkins developed quite dandily as a sophomore last season. It should be fun to watch this season how far Stephan Bennett can go.


 
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Players Mentioned

Stephan Bennett

#45 Stephan Bennett

F
6' 9"
Junior
Jr.

Players Mentioned

Stephan Bennett

#45 Stephan Bennett

6' 9"
Junior
Jr.
F