Winston Bennett

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Winston Bennett
Personal information
Born (1965-02-09) February 9, 1965 (age 59)
Kentucky State
2007–2013Mid-Continent
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

  • SIAC championship (2001)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Winston George Bennett III (born February 9, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.

High school and college career

A star at

McDonald's All-America honors, sharing MVP honors with Dwayne Washington
.

Bennett played collegiately at the

, 53–40.

The following season, he averaged 7.2 points in nearly 20 minutes per game to help UK to the West Regional Semi-Finals. In 1985–86, his junior season, Bennett was named to the All-

NCAA Regional Team and the SEC All-Conference Team after averaging 12.7 points and 7 rebounds per game. Playing under first-year coach Eddie Sutton
, Bennett shot better than 50 percent from the field helped lead the Wildcats to a 32–4 record.

After red-shirting in 1986–87 to rehab a serious knee injury, Bennett served as team captain and averaged 15.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a senior during the following season, again earning All-SEC honors. Along with teammate and future NBA player

1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.[3] Kentucky's talents led the team to the tournament's Sweet Sixteen, where they suffered a defeat against Villanova
.

Professional career

The 6-foot, 7-inch Bennett was selected by the

Italian club Teorema Arese before joining the Pensacola Tornados of the Continental Basketball Association during the 1988–89 season.[4][5] His best year as a pro came during his rookie season with the Cavaliers when he appeared in 55 games and averaged 6.1 points per game
.

Coaching career

After his professional playing career ended, Bennett served as an assistant coach under Rick Pitino at the University of Kentucky from 1995 to 1997 and, later, under Pitino, with the Boston Celtics, during the 1997–98 NBA season.

In 1996, while an assistant at Kentucky, the Wildcats won the NCAA Championship, defeating Syracuse, 76–67. The following season, UK finished as the runner-up, losing to Arizona in the championship game, 84–79.

In May 2000, he was named head men's basketball coach at Kentucky State University, a Division II university in Frankfort, Kentucky. In his first season with the Thorobreds, he led the team to a conference championship.

But on November 6, 2003, less than a week before the 2003–04 season was scheduled to begin, Kentucky State fired Bennett for allegedly hitting a player. According to an Associated Press report, "senior guard Ricky Green filed a complaint with the Franklin County attorney's office, accusing Bennett of striking him in the face during practice." According to the AP story, Bennett expressed regret about the incident, saying "If there was ever a time when I wish the hands of time could be turned back, it is right now." Bennett was 44–43 in three seasons at Kentucky State.

In May 2007, Bennett was named the head men's basketball coach at Mid-Continent University, an NAIA school in Mayfield, Kentucky. In 2007–08, the Cougars went 11–21, finishing ninth in the TranSouth Athletic Conference.

On June 17, 2013, Bennett resigned his position as head coach at Mid-Continent. His record at six seasons at MCU was 91–103.[6][7]

In 2014 Mid-Continent University laid off all its employees and made plans to close following the end of the school year.[8]

Personal life

Bennett and his wife Peggy reside in Louisville. After his coaching career, he joined Louisville-based insurance agency Van Zandt, Emrich & Cary Inc.[9]

References

  1. ^ "UK Needs a Killer 'Bee' to Tame Miami". Lexington Herald-Leader. December 19, 1987. p. D3. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  2. ^ Scott, Jon. "Statistics for 1987–88". bigbluehistory.net: Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Page. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Scott, Jon. "Kentucky Teams of the Past". bigbluehistory.net: Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Page. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
  4. ^ "Legabasket: Winston Bennett" (in Italian). Lega Basket Serie A. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  5. Schenectady Gazette
    . January 21, 1989. p. 20. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  6. ^ Hancock, Jon. "Winston Bennett Resigns As Head Coach At Mid-Continent University". KentuckySports.co. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  7. ^ "Bennett Resigns as Men's Basketball Coach". Mid-Continent University. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  8. ^ "Financially troubled Mid-Continent University to close on June 30". The Republic (Columbus, Indiana). April 16, 2014. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  9. ^ "Winston Bennett – Producer". Van Zandt, Emrich & Cary Inc. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2017.

External links