Former Coaches Discuss Newly Drafted Hawks Center

When the Atlanta Hawks drafted Oakland University center Keith Benson in Round 2 of the NBA Draft last night, were you among the Powder Springs and Lithia Springs basketball fans wondering who, where and why?

For answers, we turned to Michigan Patch sites. Benson lives in Farmington (there's a Patch there), attended Country Day High School near Birmingham (and one there, too) and Oakland University in Rochester (yes, another Patch site).

Here's what writers there found out about Benson:

From his high school coach: "Keith was always a kid who was team-first. He’s a pretty laid back individual personality-wise, so as a high schooler, for instance, he’s not a rah-rah guy, but he’s what we would call a low-maintenance kid. He’s just going to have a great work ethic. He’s a bright guy who will pick things up rather quickly." Read more in 

From his college coach: "This is a dream come true for him and his family. To see a young man that I have so much respect for reach a goal in his life is very exciting." Read more in 

From a writer who has followed his career: "For a player who left high school with little fanfare and a ton of potential, the last five years couldn’t have gone much better. No matter what happens in the next five, you can’t take conference titles and individual awards he earned at Oakland away." Read more in