Selfless basketball and comfortability helping Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk make strides so far this season
Heading into this season, Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk had his fair share of doubters. After what could be considered a subpar first year at South Carolina, many weren’t expecting much from him.
But so far this year, he’s been flying under the radar and playing some good basketball. For one thing, he’s doing things that some might overlook.
“He’s a guy that’s got the ball underneath the basket and he’s kicking out to a guy for a wide-open three. And somebody’s saying, ‘Shoot it!’ And I never say that. He’s a good teammate that way,” head coach Lamont Paris said.
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Through three games, Bosmans-Verdonk is averaging 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 points per game. Scoring has never been a big part of his game, but he’s been an enforcer in the paint, which is just what the Gamecocks need.
Most recently against VMI on Monday, Bosmans-Verdonk had eight boards, which was second behind BJ Mack, who had 13. As a result, those rebounds gave South Carolina a lot of extra looks, which explains how it finished with 71 shots.
“I’ve had some highlight tapes of him just making some effort plays. Going out there and getting seven offensive rebounds,” Paris said. “I don’t know, he had one bucket maybe. Just a guy that’s out there trying to play for his team. And everybody is, ultimately. But this guy is outwardly trying to play for his teammates.”
A lot of the early success comes from the work he’s put in to be better. Last year, he never had more than seven rebounds in one game. So far, so good this season.
“Ben has just been putting in a lot of work,” Mack said. “He’s paying off with it in the games. It just shows, no matter what, somebody can come out any given moment for us and make a huge impact for us, no matter if it’s defensively or offensively.”
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However, his impact goes beyond just the stat line. Paris said Bosmans-Verdonk has looked a lot more comfortable on the floor. At this point, that would make sense considering it’s now his second year with the program.
“I think that’s a big part of it — his level of comfort. Just with what he expects of himself, what I expect of him, what his teammates expect of him. I think he’s gotten more comfortable with that. I think he’s been more submissive in terms of just giving himself to the team. Another guy that plays really hard,” Paris said.
