COLUMBIA, S.C. — As a senior at Ridge View High School, Ja’Von Benson was a star player who helped the Blazers win back-to-back 5A state championships.
But last season as a freshman at South Carolina, Benson was mostly an observer during games. He saw action in just three contests, but Benson isn’t complaining. He hopes a year in Frank Martin’s system will allow him to be more of a contributor this season and the head coach has had high praise for Benson’s work in the preseason.
Ja’Von says his sophomore season has already improved dramatically because COVID has become less of an issue. Although safety protocols still remain in place, Benson is excited to be able to actually go to class and have a somewhat normal college experience as opposed to last year’s experience which was dominated and decimated by the pandemic which caused three work stoppages within the Gamecock program.