Staying ready, playing hard leads to more minutes for Bender
Maciej Bender has come to learn to stay ready at all times. That came in handy against TCU.
The sophomore from Poland had netted only 12-minutes in the previous four games, but with sophomore Sagaba Konate pulled from the floor and parked on the bench only minutes into the game Bender realized that he was going to get the chance at an extended opportunity that he didn't expect to see.
Konate had drawn the ire of head coach Bob Huggins for his effort, or lack thereof, in the opening stages of the game so he took away something he’d understand. His playing time.
“We need to be like the people in this state. They’re hard working, don’t take plays off. You face a lot of obstacles here, you have to work harder,” Huggins said.
And while Konate sat on the bench, it was Bender and redshirt sophomore Logan Routt that got the call in his place.
Bender took advantage of his chance to get on the floor totaling 11-minutes in the first half while recording five total rebounds, one short of a career high for a game. While he only scored a single basket, it was what he brought to the table in other areas that made the difference.
Not typically known for his energy-level, the soft-spoken Bender was an energizer bunny of sorts for the Mountaineers by actively getting his hands in the passing lanes and recording three steals, one short of his entire total for the season. He was aggressive on the glass as well.
It was the shot in the arm West Virginia needed at the time from the unlikeliest of places.
“I think he gave us the biggest spark. He was guarding, making all the effort plays and got all the 50-50 balls,” senior guard Daxter Miles said. “Maciej he’s a quiet guy so if he gets aggressive it can get scary.”
At times, Bender has been tentative on both ends of the floor but this isn’t anything new to Huggins. In fact, what he provided is what the head man envisioned just a few short years ago when it came to the big man.
“That’s what we thought he could do when we recruited him,” Huggins said. “I thought he’d step out and make shots but he hasn’t been able to do that yet but I think he can.”
His level of play helped West Virginia turn a 13-5 deficit at the 13-minute mark, into an 11-point halftime lead for the Mountaineers outscoring the Horned Frogs 33-14 during that span.
But what was the difference for Bender against TCU?
It really isn’t complicated.
“I was just playing hard. Do my best and everything worked out,” he said.
Bender has continued to work on is overall game adding 20-pounds of muscle to his frame while continuing to expand his array of post-moves. One of the biggest hurdles for him has admittedly come with confidence in himself on the floor and there was no lack of that against the Horned Frogs.
Coming into the game, he realized that he had one role to execute.
“Play as hard as I can and everything will work out,” Bender said.
It did.
He also understands his role with West Virginia is to serve as that positive spark off the bench and if the Mountaineers can capture this type of performance moving forward it could lead to more time for him. He finished second on the team at +17 in his minutes on the floor.
“Play defense, rebound the ball and block shots,” he said.
If those things happen with the same level of energy, we’ll likely be seeing a lot more of Bender in the future off the bench.
