2014-15 Carson-Newman Men’s Basketball Media Guide for fourth in the conference standings with an 8-10 mark after being picked ninth in the preseason poll. C-N's season came to an end with a first round loss to No. 13 Lincoln Memorial in the South Atlantic Conference tournament, finishing the year at 11-16 overall. C-N turned in several memorable moments during Benson's first year at the helm. The Eagles claimed quality road wins at Anderson, an Elite Eight participant, and Brevard, the defending conference champion. The Eagles also defeated rival Maryville College for the first time since 2006. Freshman guard Ishmael Sanders thrived leading the team in scoring as he set a conference record with 51 points against Mars Hill and broke a school record by making 11 3-pointers against the Lions. Guard Bradley Tumer also broke the conference's single game record for assists with 19 against Newberry. Sanders and guard Antonio Sullivan each earned SAC Player of the Week honors, while Sanders was named to the SAC All-Freshman team. As a team, the Eagles proved to be one of the top defensive squads in the SAC as they finished the year as the league leader in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.322) and third in field goal percentage defense (.428). Academically at Carson-Newman, Benson has seen 88 percent of players who have played out their eligibility graduate and get a degree in five years or less. Benson's two-decade career in the collegiate ranks extends much further than Mossy Creek, including five seasons in the Southeastern Con-ference at the University of Tennessee, as well as building Martin Methodist College into a national contender in his seven seasons as head coach at the NAIA Division I institution. Prior to joining the Carson-Newman staff in 2006, Benson was an assistant at Tennessee from 2003-05 after Vols head coach Buzz Peter-son hired him to help bolster recruiting efforts. Tennessee earned a National Invitational Tournament bid for the 2003-04 season. Benson joined Bobby Lutz' staff at UNC-Charlotte for the 2005-06 season. The 49ers were in the preseason Top 25 and earned an NIT bid during his one season as an assistant. In April of 2006, Benson accepted a position at UNC-Wilmington and served as an assistant there until he received the call from Eagles head coach Dale Clayton in August of 2006 with the opportunity to come back to Carson-Newman. Benson brings a wealth of coaching experience to the Eagles, including a seven-year stint (1996-2003) as head coach at Martin Method-ist College in Pulaski, Tenn. The RedHawks were a part of a strong Transouth Athletic Conference, which included three schools (Belmont, Birmingham Southern and Lipscomb) that would eventually become NCAA Division I programs. During his time in Pulaski, Benson led the RedHawks program to unprecedented heights, compiling a 137-95 record. Martin Meth-odist 5 averaged 20 wins a year over his last six seasons and was listed in the NAIA national rankings for 40 weeks from 1999-2003, including a No. 4 ranking in December of 2002. Benson guided the RedHawks to three consecutive NAIA National Tournament berths from 2001-03, including back-to-back appearances in the Sweet 16 in 2001 and 2002. Four Martin Methodist players earned NAIA All-America honors during Benson's tenure, which was a first for the small rural institu-tion with less than 500 students enrolled. Off the floor, 16 men's basketball players graduated from Martin Methodist with Benson at the helm. He also implemented the NAIA's "Champions of Char-acter" initiative as a way to emphasize character both on and off the court to his student-athletes. Aware of his responsibility to the institution as a whole, Benson served on one SACS accreditation committee and was a member of the Vice President for Academic Affairs selection committee. Prior to his start in the collegiate ranks, Benson created the Tennessee Travelers summer basketball program in 1987 and coached within the organization during his college years. Benson spent the 1990-91 season as the head boys' basketball coach at Morristown Covenant Academy in Morristown, Tenn. The team ad-vanced to the championship game in the TANAS State Tournament while compiling an 18-10 overall record. Chuck Benson Milestone Wins Date Opponent Significance November, 2 1996 American Baptist 1st Win November 29, 2001 Atlanta Christian 100th Win February 19, 2014 Anderson 200th Win November 12, 2012 Lees-McRae CN’s 1000th Win
Carson-Newman Men's Basketball Media Guide 2014-15
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