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He does it all
Theo Benoit has been playing more like it’s Three-o Benoit.
Benoit, the Putnam Science Academy Elite basketball team’s sharpshooter, has been playing at an unbelievable clip of late, leading the Mustangs to three wins in their last four games. In that stretch he has scored: 31 points (23 in the second half) with seven 3-pointers in an 89-76 win over Overwin Academy; 22 points that included six 3’s in a 90-68 win over South Kent; 19 points and five made 3’s in an 84-64 loss to St. Thomas More on March 12; and 30 points while draining eight 3-pointers in a 93-82 win over the same St. Thomas More team the next day.
The basket doesn’t look any bigger as some have said when they get in the zone like this. Instead for Benoit, who is from Lyon, France, it’s just the muscle memory from hours upon hours of hoisting shots with impeccable form that is leading to all the makes.
“I wake up every morning and I shoot maybe 500 shots. Every morning,” he said. “And that helps.” That is an understatement. His coach, Dana Valentine, loves his work ethic and how aggressive Benoit was, particularly March 13, in hunting good looks from deep.
“Theo’s in the gym to the point that I have to tell him to take a break,” Valentine. “He could have 30, he could have 3, he’s still going to get back in the gym as soon as possible and get more shots up. What you’re seeing his last couple of games is just a product of his hard work. He’s a more-than-capable shooter. He’s a high, high-level shooter and we trust him.”
A member of the Class of 2022, Benoit is probably best suited for the Division III or NAIA level in college. As of now, he remains undecided about his future. The pandemic has done him no favors, as Valentine said that in a normal year of scouting and recruiting, many of those schools would have made a move for him. For now, he’ll wait and keep shooting his way into some school’s program.
Three of PSA’s games in this stretch have been at home, and it’s no secret that PSA has some of the softest rims around, which helps shooters get friendly bounces into the net. But truth be told, so many of Benoit’s shots are splashing through the hoop, seemingly without even slightly touching the rim.
“Maybe it’s a little bit of home cooking, but I don’t think so,” Valentine said. “It doesn’t matter, home, away, put him in the parking lot, Theo is going to make shots. I’m really happy for him right now.”
Benoit is happy too, because he said he has never had a stretch like this. He said that at the most he maybe had four 3’s in a game. Now he’s knocking down six in a half.
“(Saturday) I made some shots, and then I felt good,” he said. “And then I kept shooting and they went in. It feels great when that happens. You feel untouchable, like you can do anything.”
In the Mustangs’ loss to St. Thomas More, Sean McCarthy added nine points and Jaden Brewington seven in his return to the court, but it wasn’t enough support for Benoit’s game-high 19. PSA then played the second game without three starters, but in addition to Benoit’s 30 points, Brewington had 26, Eddie Linares 15, and Ikenna Smith 10 for the Mustangs (6-4).
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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