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SAN FRANCISCO ― When walk-on guard Bennett Andersen scored on a driving layup in the closing minutes of Florida basketball's Sweet 16 win over Maryland on Thursday night at the Chase Center, it brought a roar both from the crowd and from the Florida Gators bench.
A former Tampa Jesuit High standout, Anderson has worked his way up from student manager to walk on in his final two years on UF's campus.
He's also got future aspirations.
Andersen wants to coach basketball and hopes to follow in a line of coaches with UF ties who have made the transition from washing team uniforms to Division I coaching.
Dusty May was a former student manager under Bob Knight at Indiana, before going on to work as assistant coach under Mike White at Florida from 2015-17. May went on to become a head coach at Florida Atlantic, leading the Owls to a Final Four in 2023, and in his first year at Michigan, has the No. 5 seed Wolverines in the Sweet 16, where they will face No. 1 seed Auburn on Friday night in Atlanta.
Matt McCall was a student manager under Billy Donovan at Florida before working his way up to an assistant coach from 2011-15. McCall went on to become a head coach at Chattanooga (2015-17) and UMass (2017-22) and led the Mocs to the NCAA Tournament in 2016.
Andersen said he's met both McCall and May and is close friends with May's son, Jack, after the two were walk ons together during the 2024 season. He said being part of UF's program as both a manager and a player has given him different perspectives on being part of a high-level program.
"I didn’t realize going into a player I would learn so much different stuff and see it a different way, but I feel like I have," Andersen said. "Just getting to be in the locker room in practice and hearing guys thoughts on how practice went, and different things going on I think has taught me a ton.”
Andersen spent three years as a student manager at UF under Mike White and stayed with the program when Todd Golden was hired in March of 2022.
"Coach Golden started letting me play on the scout team in practice because I had been playing pickup with some of the assistants, some of the other managers," Andersen said. "Then he kind of came to me after that season, so in between my junior and my senior year gave me the opportunity to be on the team."
Said Golden: "Obviously, he started as a manager and had such a good attitude and approach on a daily basis that we thought he could help us in practice, with the intensity and just his approach."
In 2023-24, Andersen appeared in four games and scored on his lone field goal attempt against Grambling. This season, Andersen has scored baskets against Alabama in the SEC Tournament and Maryland in the NCAA Tournament.
“I would have never thought I would have played in March Madness, especially when I was coming to UF not even knowing I was going to be a manager at this point," Andersen said. "So, it’s just awesome, it’s just a dream come true.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida basketball walk on Bennett Andersen gets another shining moment in March Madness
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A former Tampa Jesuit High standout, Anderson has worked his way up from student manager to walk on in his final two years on UF's campus.
He's also got future aspirations.
Andersen wants to coach basketball and hopes to follow in a line of coaches with UF ties who have made the transition from washing team uniforms to Division I coaching.
Dusty May was a former student manager under Bob Knight at Indiana, before going on to work as assistant coach under Mike White at Florida from 2015-17. May went on to become a head coach at Florida Atlantic, leading the Owls to a Final Four in 2023, and in his first year at Michigan, has the No. 5 seed Wolverines in the Sweet 16, where they will face No. 1 seed Auburn on Friday night in Atlanta.
Matt McCall was a student manager under Billy Donovan at Florida before working his way up to an assistant coach from 2011-15. McCall went on to become a head coach at Chattanooga (2015-17) and UMass (2017-22) and led the Mocs to the NCAA Tournament in 2016.
Andersen said he's met both McCall and May and is close friends with May's son, Jack, after the two were walk ons together during the 2024 season. He said being part of UF's program as both a manager and a player has given him different perspectives on being part of a high-level program.
"I didn’t realize going into a player I would learn so much different stuff and see it a different way, but I feel like I have," Andersen said. "Just getting to be in the locker room in practice and hearing guys thoughts on how practice went, and different things going on I think has taught me a ton.”
How Bennett Andersen worked his way up from student manager to walk on for Florida basketball
Andersen spent three years as a student manager at UF under Mike White and stayed with the program when Todd Golden was hired in March of 2022.
"Coach Golden started letting me play on the scout team in practice because I had been playing pickup with some of the assistants, some of the other managers," Andersen said. "Then he kind of came to me after that season, so in between my junior and my senior year gave me the opportunity to be on the team."
Said Golden: "Obviously, he started as a manager and had such a good attitude and approach on a daily basis that we thought he could help us in practice, with the intensity and just his approach."
In 2023-24, Andersen appeared in four games and scored on his lone field goal attempt against Grambling. This season, Andersen has scored baskets against Alabama in the SEC Tournament and Maryland in the NCAA Tournament.
“I would have never thought I would have played in March Madness, especially when I was coming to UF not even knowing I was going to be a manager at this point," Andersen said. "So, it’s just awesome, it’s just a dream come true.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida basketball walk on Bennett Andersen gets another shining moment in March Madness
Continue reading...
