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Give ‘Em Five: Hampton’s Benson latest transfer added to loaded-up Ole Miss front court

GGtKuYqW4AAo-ITby:Zach Berry05/24/24

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After a brief hiatus from the hustle and bustle of the NCAA Transfer Portal, Ole Miss and head coach Chris Beard are back at it again. On Friday, Hampton power forward Ja’Von Benson announced he would be transferring to play for the Rebels in 2024-2025.

The 6-foot-8, 253 pound prospect began his college career at South Carolina. This season at Hampton, he averaged 15 minutes per game and shot 60 percent from the field, 43 percent from three-point range and grabbed 7.1. points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

He joins a loaded front court transfer class which includes Belmont’s Malik Dia, UNC-Greensboro’s Mikeal Brown-Jones, Sam Houston State’s Davon Barnes and Seton Hall’s Dre Davis.

Dec 16, 2023; Hampton, Virginia, USA; James Madison Dukes guard Xavier Brown (0) drives to the basket against Hampton Pirates forward Ja’Von Benson (21) during the first half at Hampton Convocation Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Ja’Von Benson seems like a prototypical Chris Beard player.

He is a relentless rebounder and a “I don’t care about the stat sheet” hustler, per several sources. The Rebels struggled down the stretch last season due to inefficiency on the defensive end. A lot of it was due to getting outrebounded. Benson is a guy who can position himself well under the basket and use tenacity to win those battles.

At Ridge View (S.C.), Benson averaged 17.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game during his senior season. He was the South Carolina Class 4A Player of the Year and chose the Gamecocks over offers from College of Charleston, Georgia Southern, James Madison, Morehead State, Murray State, and UNC Wilmington.

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