Winston Bennett
Encyclopedia
Winston George Bennett III (born February 9, 1965) is a retired American
professional basketball
player and current men's basketball head coach for Mid-Continent University
.
, Bennett was named "Mr. Basketball" for the State of Kentucky in 1983. He also earned Parade Magazine
All-American and McDonald's All-America honors, sharing MVP honors with Dwayne Washington
.
Bennett played collegiately at the University of Kentucky
where he wore #25 and was known as "Steady Bee". As a freshman in 1983–84, Bennett appeared in 34 games for UK, averaging 6.5 points in 19 minutes per game as the Wildcats reached the Final Four
, losing to Georgetown, 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 Rex Chapman
, Bennett helped lead the Wildcats that season to their 37th SEC title with a 27–6 record. The Wildcats were ranked as the 6th college basketball team in the nation by the Associated Press
and UPI
and secured the number two Southeast Conference seed in the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. Kentucky's talents led the team to the tournament's Sweet Sixteen, where they suffered a defeat against Villanova
.
in the third round (64th overall) of the 1988 NBA Draft
and went on to play three seasons in the NBA
, mainly for the Cavaliers, from 1989 to 1992. Prior to his stint in the NBA, Bennett spent 1988 playing with the Italian club
Teorema Arese before joining the Pensacola Tornadoes of the Continental Basketball Association
during the 1988–89 season. 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
.
at the University of Kentucky from 1995–97 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
.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and current men's basketball head coach for Mid-Continent University
Mid-Continent University
Mid-Continent University is a four-year, liberal arts Christian institution located near Mayfield, Kentucky.- History :The university opened in January 1949 in Clinton, Kentucky. The University is now located four miles north of Mayfield....
.
High school and college career
A star at Louisville Male High SchoolLouisville Male High School
Louisville Male Traditional High School is a public secondary school serving students in grades 9 through 12 in the southside of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. It is part of the Jefferson County Public School District....
, Bennett was named "Mr. Basketball" for the State of Kentucky in 1983. He also earned Parade Magazine
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
All-American and McDonald's All-America honors, sharing MVP honors with Dwayne Washington
Dwayne Washington
Dwayne Alonzo Washington is a retired American college basketball star and professional player from 1986-1989. His nickname was "Pearl"...
.
Bennett played collegiately at the University of Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647...
where he wore #25 and was known as "Steady Bee". As a freshman in 1983–84, Bennett appeared in 34 games for UK, averaging 6.5 points in 19 minutes per game as the Wildcats reached the Final Four
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, losing to Georgetown, 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
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
All-Conference Team after averaging 12.7 points and 7 rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
per game. Playing under first-year coach Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton is an American former college head coach with 36 years of Division I basketball coaching experience at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State , and the University of San Francisco...
, 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 Rex Chapman
Rex Chapman
Rex Everett Chapman is a retired American professional basketball player. Chapman was a college standout at the University of Kentucky and went on to play for four NBA teams through his 12-year career in the league...
, Bennett helped lead the Wildcats that season to their 37th SEC title with a 27–6 record. The Wildcats were ranked as the 6th college basketball team in the nation by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and UPI
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
and secured the number two Southeast Conference seed in the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1988, and ended with the championship game on April 4 returning to Kansas City, Missouri...
. Kentucky's talents led the team to the tournament's Sweet Sixteen, where they suffered a defeat against Villanova
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
.
Professional career
The 6-foot, 7-inch Bennett was selected by the Cleveland CavaliersCleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
in the third round (64th overall) of the 1988 NBA Draft
1988 NBA Draft
The 1988 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1988 in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Notable undrafted players:...
and went on to play three seasons in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, mainly for the Cavaliers, from 1989 to 1992. Prior to his stint in the NBA, Bennett spent 1988 playing with the Italian club
Serie A (basketball)
Lega Basket Serie A is the highest level club competition in Italian professional basketball where play determines the national champion. The season consists of a home-and-away schedule of 30 games, followed by an eight-team playoff round. Quarterfinals and semifinals series are best-of-five, and...
Teorema Arese before joining the Pensacola Tornadoes of the Continental Basketball Association
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
during the 1988–89 season. 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
Points per game
Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by number of games. The terminology is often used in...
.
Coaching career
After his professional playing career ended, Bennett served as an assistant coach under Rick PitinoRick Pitino
Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996...
at the University of Kentucky from 1995–97 and, later, under Pitino, with the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, 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
Kentucky State University
Kentucky State University is a four-year institution of higher learning, located in Frankfort, Kentucky, United States, the Commonwealth's capital. The school is an historically black university, which desegregated in 1954...
, a Division II university in Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
. 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
Mid-Continent University
Mid-Continent University is a four-year, liberal arts Christian institution located near Mayfield, Kentucky.- History :The university opened in January 1949 in Clinton, Kentucky. The University is now located four miles north of Mayfield....
, an NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
school in Mayfield, Kentucky
Mayfield, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,349 people, 4,358 households, and 2,667 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.8 people per square mile . There were 4,907 housing units at an average density of 734.8 per square mile...
. In 2007–08, the Cougars went 11–21, finishing ninth in the TranSouth Athletic Conference
TranSouth Athletic Conference
The TranSouth Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference for smaller colleges and universities located in the Southern United States...
.
Personal life
Bennett, his wife Peggy, and their three daughters Princess, Jasmine and Stephanie reside in Lone Oak, KentuckyLone Oak, Kentucky
Lone Oak is an unincorporated community in McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 454 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a city. It is a part of the Paducah, KY-IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.