BOYS BASKETBALL: Port Angeles’ Kyle Benedict the best kind of pest

PORT ANGELES — Every successful basketball team has an instigator and for the Olympic League-champion Port Angeles Roughriders guard Kyle Benedict bought into and filled the role in his senior season.

“At 6-2 with a good, strong base, Kyle almost averaged four steals per game and really was a pest on the ball,” Port Angeles head coach Kasey Ulin said.

“He’s a kid that’s extremely confident, that always plays with a chip on his shoulder and was never going to be intimidated. He’s somebody that you love to play with him but you get frustrated when you play against him because he plays really hard.”

Benedict agreed with his coach.

“A big point of my game is making my teammates better,” Benedict said. “I also like making it where opponents don’t enjoy playing against me, they don’’t like to guard me or be guarded by me. It’s pretty cool to have the ability to impact other teams like that.”

Benedict poked, prodded and produced a great stat line for the Riders. He put up a team-high 18 points per game, along with four assists, four steals and four rebounds.

Voted second-team All-Olympic League for the second straight season by league coaches, Benedict also is the All-Peninsula Boys Basketball MVP as selected by area coaches and the Peninsula Daily News sports staff.

“We asked a lot of him,” Ulin said. “There were times he was point guard, times he was required to score, drive, make the big shot, play great defense, play the passing lanes. There wasn’t lot we couldn’t do with Kyle on the floor.

“We could really lean on him, ask a lot of him and enjoy having an extra coach on the floor because he knew what we wanted to do.”

Ulin was enthusiastic about Benedict’s growth defensively.

“We were able to put him on other teams’ best players,” Ulin said.

“He held [University of Michigan-commit and consensus five-star recruit] Cole Bajema [of Lynden Christian] to 4 for 15 shooting. And he did a really great job against [North Kitsap’s] Shaa Humphrey, the Olympic League MVP.

“The more you asked of him the better he would do.”

A scorer since he made his varsity debut, Ulin knew Benedict would need to show more in other aspects of his game to play in college.

“I had always offense as part of my game,” Benedict said. “Coach Ulin talked with me and told me to become a player at the next level what will separate you is defense, making teammates better and being a leader.

Ulin who played collegiately and as a pro in Europe had been in the same position when he was in high school.

“He had the same issues as a younger player, he could obviously score the ball,” Benedict said of his coach. “He said if I committed to improving myself now, it would impact me later in life. Of course I listened to him because he’s been where I am and where I want to be.”

Benedict was proud of his performances when asked to guard the opposition’s best.

“To Be honest, my mind-set was I will take them over defensively,” Benedict said.

“Holding Bajema to a season low or Shaa below his scoring average, I knew my teammates will back me up offensively. I had three other teammates that averaged 10 points or more per game and had the ability to make plays offensively [Liam Clark, Garrett Edwards and Payton Schmidt]. So, I knew I could exert a lot of energy on defense and have my teammates back me up on offense.”

Benedict pointed to the Riders’ Olympic League championship tiebreaking 68-64 win over North Kitsap when he scored 32 points while dealing with foul trouble for most of the second half as his favorite game of the season.

“That game against NK he plays the last 14 minutes of the second half with four fouls,” Ulin said. “It was very controlled, highly intellectual basketball and at a high level.”

It also was the best example of Benedict’s ability to contribute while dealing with foul trouble.

“A big part of my game is getting steals, I reach a lot as you know, so when I have foul trouble I know I need to wall up on defense, stay straight up and down and not reach. Use my feet and keep my hands out of the way. Make it so the ref can’t call a foul on me.”

Benedict said being elected co-captain by his teammates along with Clarke, the leading rebounder and shot blocker in Port Angeles school history, was huge for him.

“It was a big part of my season,” Benedict said.” I loved having the ability to lead my teammates in every game. It was a big accomplishment to me and meant a lot to me.

“It really made my senior year, to be honest.”

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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.