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Multiple sources this evening are reporting that 2014 point guard Casey Benson of Tempe, Arizona has committed to the Oregon Ducks. Josh Gershon of Scout.com was the first to break the news on Twitter, followed shortly thereafter by Matt Prehm of Duck Territory:
2014 Tempe (Ariz.) Corona Del Sol PG Casey Benson has committed to Oregon, per a source.
— Josh Gershon (@JoshGershon) July 8, 2013
Casey Benson is one of the best pure point guards out west in 2014. High basketball IQ, good passer, nice size and scores. Good pickup.
— Josh Gershon (@JoshGershon) July 8, 2013
Three-star PG Casey Benson has committed to Oregon per a source. Huge get for Dana Altman. http://t.co/L39JisrRdf!
— Matt Prehm (@Prehmmr247) July 8, 2013
Benson is Oregon's first verbal commitment in the 2014 class and fills a huge position of need as Johnathan Loyd will graduate after next season, leaving Dominic Artis as the only point guard on the roster. Benson is considered a three star recruit according to most recruiting services but last year led his team to a Division I state title and was named the Player of the Year in Arizona by both Gatorade and the New Republic newspaper. His high school basketball coach Sam Duane had this to say about him in March:
"In addition to being a tremendous player, Casey Benson is a true leader and very coachable," Corona del Sol head coach Sam Duane said in the announcement release. "He is very competitive and he makes players around him better. He does not care about individual stats and only cares about what it takes to win."
Benson is a 6'3, 180 lbs left-hander and averaged 20.7 points, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game as a junior. He picked Oregon over offers from Colorado, Gonzaga, Creighton, Stanford, New Mexico, Arizona State, and USC, among others. You can watch an interview with some highlights from his junior season below (cue comments about how he will fit in Eugene because of his hair):