In the first half of Oregon’s blowout win over Arizona on Saturday, Casey Benson drilled a 3-pointer, turned to the crowd and roared. Last year, he struggled to shoot 3s at times. But on Saturday, he finished the game a perfect 3-3 from 3-point range. Confidence can do that.
He has been one of Oregon’s best 3-point shooters since Pac-12 play began. His shooting tear is showing no signs of slowing down and has earned him a nickname among his teammates: ‘AK,’ for being a deadly shooter, like the AK-47 rifle.
“[T]hat’s why we call him AK,” junior Jordan Bell said. “He’s been more confident this year shooting the ball.”
Benson, the starting point guard for the Ducks last season, shot 42 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc in 2015-16 and had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the nation. But despite his production, Benson only averaged six points per game, and he was labelled a facilitator. Generally speaking, a facilitator is an idiom for a player who can’t score.
This season, freshman Payton Pritchard starts over Benson in the Oregon lineup. Benson is playing eight fewer minutes this season, but still scores almost as many points per game.
Benson’s shooting percentages are up this season and have been phenomenal during conference play. Benson is shooting a staggering 58 percent from 3-point range and 55 percent from the floor. He has been the best 3-point shooter on the team as of late. In addition to shooting 3-3 against Arizona, he had a 5-of-5 performance against Cal.
Casey Benson made every shot he took vs. Cal en route to tying his career-high in points. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/8t60UuIaWx
— GoDucks (@GoDucks) January 20, 2017
So where did this come from?
“I think it’s just learning the offense,” said Bell, who enrolled with Benson in the same freshman class. “I think it just comes with confidence now. Just knowing when you can do it and when you should.”
Benson credits his teammates.
Oregon Ducks guard Casey Benson (2) celebrates after scoring a 3-pointer. The No. 13 Oregon Ducks play the No. 5 Arizona Wildcats at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017. (Adam Eberhardt/Emerald)
“We always want to play inside-out,” Benson said. “Once we establish the inside, then we know they’re going to be helping down low, so that opens up opportunities for the guards and vice-versa.”
It is unique for a player to change roles midway through a collegiate career and find such success. Usually when a player moves from starting to the bench, his production falls.
“[Benson] has done a tremendous job,” head coach Dana Altman said. “Last year [he] was a starter and I made the decision to change things around, and [he] is all about the team.”
“I just see him working out in the gym all the time,” senior Dylan Ennis said. “He’s in here before anybody else. … He gets in the game and he hits one or two and you see his confidence go through the roof. I love it.”
Lately, Oregon has been 3-point heavy. The Ducks are scoring 40 percent of their points from 3s during conference play, which ranks first in the conference, according to KenPom.com.
As the Ducks chase a Pac-12 title, they’ll continue to rely on their newfound sniper.
Follow Jack Butler @Butler917