http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nuggets/article/0,1299,DRMN_20_1194069,00.html CHICAGO - While most of the other 64 players competing at the NBA pre-draft camp this week were taking their lumps in high school and college gymnasiums around the world, Lee Benson was taking his in the Ohio prison system. Benson was among the most talented prep basketball players in the nation nine years ago as a junior at Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio. He still has what he estimates to be between 300 and 400 recruiting letters from just about any college you can think of and "plenty you never heard of or wanted to." Benson hung out with the wrong crowd, which he says contributed to his making poor decisions as a kid with little to fall back on but the rough streets of Dayton. He was convicted in 1992 for drug-related charges and abduction. He spent eight years in nine different prisons. After being released last year, Benson finally had another shot. He enrolled at Brown Mackie Junior College in Salina, Kan., where he averaged 34.6 points with 13.7 rebounds a game last season. More than 20 NBA teams sent scouts to watch him play, which led him to believe he could be a No. 1 pick in the June 26 draft. Benson has not hired an agent in order to retain his college eligibility, but this week in Chicago has only added to his belief that he belongs in the NBA. He has fared well against the competition here playing on a team coached by former Denver Nuggets assistant coach Clyde Drexler. Some NBA general managers and scouts would like to see him play another year in college to show he truly has changed his ways and is dedicated to staying out of trouble. Benson believes he's already lost enough years as it is. "A lot of people say, 'You've got a lot to lose if you go in the second round or go overseas. . . . ." Benson said. "Where was I a year ago? I was sitting in a cell reading a book or watching TV. So, what do I have to lose?" Benson says he needs to work most on his defense because he didn't have to play much in prison. Much of the time he shot baskets by himself. He grew accustomed to being the only 6-foot-11, 230-pound man on the court while he was locked up. Now, he's one of many. "I could be mentally tougher because it takes a strong mind to come out of a place like that and keep your sanity," Benson said. "So I could be mentally tougher, but physically, there are some big boys out there." While some NBA decision-makers have their concerns, others believe Benson can succeed and ought to be given the opportunity. "If he's done everything he needs to, I don't see any reason why he shouldn't be given a chance to play if he's good enough," Cleveland coach John Lucas said. The Denver Nuggets share a common philosophy with most teams when considering whether or not to draft players with serious problems in their past. Nuggets assistant general manager Jeff Weltman said the team believes it's best to meet with the man and judge for yourself. "Obviously, he was incarcerated for a number of years, and that is something that any team looking seriously at drafting him will want to explore on their own and with him," Weltman said. "They want to find out what the facts were. "Then talk to him and get his side of it and how he views it and form some sort of comfort level that he has put that behind him. "We won't look at a guy's past and write him off before we try to understand that past and educate ourselves to exactly what happened." Benson expects there will be some who refuse to consider him because of what he's done and where he's been. He hopes they will reconsider. "Everybody has an opinion," Benson said. "They can look at the Lee Benson then, or they can look at the Lee Benson now." "Talk to me. We can sit down and have a conversation for hours. Get to know me. Don't judge me by the past because everybody makes mistakes in their lives." Odds are we wouldn't take him, but it's an interesting story.
http://bbs.clutchcity.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34999 i posted a bunch of stuff about him in this thread today
hhhhmmmmmmm I think we should draft him . . and ming. . . . and then let him talk to MoT and Odom Drug related charges. . . .he can tell him about the evils of the bud or rather the PRISON they can goto Rocket River
Sorry Jeff(I assume you moved this thread since you are the only mod signed on). I forgot I was in the main forum when I posted this. NJRocket, you need to fix your link because it doesn't work. Take out the first "http://" and it should work. Thanks for the link, BTW.
It's going to be really tough for him to go in the first round because of his age. Anybody think that if he's still around at 28 or 29, that the Laker's wouldn't consider giving him a shot?
I think he;s the next Ben Wallace, and could really give the rockets a hard-nosed bruiser. But then again, I think 1 drug-using PF is enough.
