While he isn’t believed to be the star athlete on this Georgia State men’s basketball team, Malik Benlevi now in his second year playing under head coach Ron Hunter has indeed turned heads thus far. With his high intellect on the defensive side of the ball and the wise decisions he makes offensively, Benlevi has entered the discussion of being that kid on the rise.
Coach Hunter has expressed many times during his press releases his gratitude for having a well-balanced player such as Benlevi at his disposal. But one coach in particular that has seen Benlevi’s progress over the duration of the offseason is Ray McCallum, who is in his first year with Panthers as the associate head coach. When asked which player has impressed him the most during practice and in the offseason Coach McCallum didn’t hesitate to say that Benlevi “is going to be one of the most improved players on this team.”
Benlevi sat down with The Signal to answer questions regarding his play as of late.
The Signal: At the beginning of the season, coach McCallum said that he felt you were the one player that has impressed him the most during practice and the offseason. Express what that means to you
Benlevi: It means a lot. Coach Ray is new to the program, and he got a chance to watch everybody play. He never saw me play before so I guess the way my game is and the energy I bring–he always motivates me to go hard.
The Signal: What was your main focus coming into this season?
Benlevi: To get a consistent jump shot. Last year I started off kind of hot, then at the end of the year I kind of faded off– I wasn’t hitting as many jumpers, so I got in the gym a lot and started shooting a bunch of threes, pull-ups–everything so I could get better at shooting.
The Signal: What exactly did you envision for yourself this season?
Benlevi: I figured I’d start. I felt like I wasted my freshman year, and I knew my sophomore year was going to be a big year for me, so I gotta produce more and play harder.
The Signal: On Twitter, I mentioned that I believe you are a player that is capable of averaging a double-double if given the minutes. Do you feel that’s possible this year or more so next year?
Benlevi: Yea, I feel that’s possible. I just have to keep rebounding; I’m scoring pretty good right now, so I just have to rebound some more. Conference play is about to start, so I should be averaging a double-double in the conference; That’s one of my goals.
The Signal: What do you feel you have to do in order to be a consistent starter in the lineup and continue to contribute to the team’s success?
Benlevi: I gotta keep playing hard. My team depends on me to play great defense and give great energy so we can start off the game good. But it doesn’t really matter if I come off the bench I’m still going to play as hard as I can.
The Signal: What area do you feel you improved the most?
Benlevi: I would say ball handling. My defense was pretty good last year so I would say ball handling. Coach Hunter always tells me “Malik, you gotta get you a move [ a go-to move].” I’m kinda figuring that out now. He trusts me with the ball in my hands, so that gives me a lot more confidence.
The Signal: If you had the opportunity to get drafted right now, which team would you want that team to be?
Benlevi: To be honest, it doesn’t really matter. I feel like whoever pays me the most.
The Signal: Who do you have the tightest relationship with on the team?
Benlevi: I came in with Austin [Donaldson]…that’s my boy. Jeremy [Hollowell], that’s my boy. [Justin] Seymour that’s my boy. Really, I’m cool with everyone–I’m a cool dude.
Benlevi finished with a career-high of 19 points when Panthers defeated South Alabama 78-77 on Jan. 7.
