Tiger News
Posted by Chris Megginson - Tue, Mar 16, 2010 - [Men's Basketball]
CU senior Jordan Benock and NAIA President/CEO Jim Carr
CU senior Jordan Benock and NAIA President/CEO Jim Carr
Two years ago, Campbellsville University forward Jordan Benock helped lead the Tigers to their first-ever NAIA Fab Four experience at the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in Kansas City. Tuesday, he was back on the big stage in KC, this time as Campbellsville's recipient of the NAIA Champion of Character Award. He received the honor at the tournament Tip-Off Banquet Tuesday night.

"Jordan Benock is the ultimate student-athlete," says his coach, Keith Adkins. "He's one of the finest kids we've got, and I'm as proud of his academic accomplishments as I am anything else."

Benock graduated from Meade County High School with a 4.0 GPA. At CU he has maintained a 3.5 while balancing plenty of conditioning and hoops practices.

But it hasn't just been basketball and studies. Physical therapy once also consumed a lot of time for this senior, who tore his ACL late in high school and has only recently fully recovered.

"He suffered a pretty bad knee injury in high school and it took him until his sophomore season to get his bounce back," said Adkins. "He's a tremendous athlete, but he'll also be an Academic All-American for the second time this season."

That injury has now changed his path for life after basketball.

"I just saw how they went about treating my injury and it opened my eyes to physical therapy," said Benock, who once wanted to be a meteorologist.

Now Benock is a few credit hours short of an undergraduate degree in exercise science. He wants to go to graduate school where he can be certified in physical therapy.

Acknowledging that physical therapy is "pretty competitive", he plans on applying at Bellarmine and the University of Kentucky for continued schooling.

Benock, from Battletown, Ky., averages 6 points, 3 rebounds and is hitting 80 percent of his free throws for the 26-7 Tigers, who won the Mid-South Conference regular season and will enter the NAIA National Tournament on Wednesday as a starter against Fresno Pacific University at 1:30 p.m. ET.

"He's a big-time team guy, and is one of the best defenders on the team," acknowledged Adkins.

Benock transferred in from a college in Indiana where he said things weren't going as he had envisioned college to be. Fortunately Campbellsville had been on his radar prior to his original signing.

"I knew I wanted to do something else," said Benock. "I'm just grateful I was given a second opportunity."

Benock says he's had a great three years, "loved every minute of it" and hopes to add to his team's successes with a long run in the national tournament. He also considers himself blessed to have transferred to a school that is close enough for his parents to attend many of his home and away games.

"It's been real nice having them here. That's been a special advantage along with the better competition and style of play."

Benock's final collegiate games in the Buffalo Funds NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament can be tracked daily, by clicking here.



NAIAMSCCampbellsville University