Bennedict Mathurin

Bennedict Richard Felder Mathurin (born June 19, 2002) is a Canadian college basketball player for the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference. He was named a consensus second-team All-American and Pac-12 Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2022.

Bennedict Mathurin
Mathurin with Arizona in 2021
No. 0 – Arizona Wildcats
PositionShooting guard / Small forward
LeaguePac-12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2002-06-19) June 19, 2002
Montreal, Quebec
NationalityCanadian
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
CollegeArizona (2020–present)
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Canada
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
2021 LatviaTeam

Early life and career

Mathurin is a native of Montreal, Quebec and grew up playing ice hockey and football as a quarterback.[1] He competed for the Quebec provincial basketball team.[2] In 2018, Mathurin joined the NBA Academy Latin America in Mexico City, becoming its first Canadian-born player.[3] He committed to playing college basketball for Arizona, choosing the Wildcats over Baylor.[4] He was considered the best Canadian prospect in his class by North Pole Hoops.[5]

College career

On January 2, 2021, Mathurin posted 24 points and 11 rebounds in an 86–82 win over Washington State.[6] On January 14, he recorded 31 points and eight rebounds in a 98–64 win over Oregon State.[7] Mathurin averaged 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, shooting 41.8 percent from three-point range. Despite gaining interest as a draft prospect, he decided to return for his sophomore season.[8] On December 11, 2021, Mathurin scored 30 points in a 83-79 win against Illinois.[9] He was named Pac-12 Player of the Year.[10]

National team career

Mathurin played for Canada at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Riga and Daugavpils, Latvia after being cut from the Olympic team.[11] On July 4, 2021, he scored a team-high 30 points, shooting 11-of-15 from the field and 6-of-9 from three point range, in a 100–75 group stage win over Japan.[12] One week later, Mathurin scored 31 points to lead Canada to a 101–92 victory over Serbia in the third-place game and win the bronze medal.[13] He averaged 16.1 points and four rebounds per game in the tournament.[14]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Arizona 261225.0.471.418.8464.81.2.7.110.8
2021–22 Arizona 373732.5.450.369.7645.62.51.0.317.7
Career 634929.4.456.383.7895.32.0.9.214.8

Personal life

Mathurin is of Haitian descent.[15] His older sister, Jennifer, played college basketball for NC State.[3] When Mathurin was 12 years old, his 15-year-old brother died in a bicycle accident. He speaks English, French and Creole.[1]

During March Madnesss in 2022, following the University of Arizona's 85-80 overtime victory over Texas Christian University, while heading to the locker room, Mathurin spread his arms as he passed a TCU cheerleader. It appeared that Mathurin either made contact with the dancer's breast with his left hand or pulled away right before touching her. Mathurin reached out to apologize but said he did not believe he made any contact with the dance team member. TCU's athletic department has not made any public comment, nor has the woman.[16]

References
  1. Pascoe, Bruce (April 26, 2020). "With late brother as both memory and motivation, Arizona Wildcats commit Bennedict Mathurin charts course for basketball future". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  2. Rose, Aaron (April 29, 2020). "Mathurin, Prosper pioneers at NBA Academy". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  3. Holmes, C. J. (May 3, 2020). "The evolution of Ben Mathurin, and an inside look at the NBA academies". The Athletic. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  4. Pascoe, Bruce (January 16, 2020). "Arizona Wildcats basketball lands commitment from Ben Mathurin". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  5. Sbiet, Elias (January 16, 2020). "Bennedict Mathurin Commits to Arizona, Canadian NBA Prospect For The Wildcats". North Pole Hoops. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  6. Kelapire, Ryan (January 15, 2021). "Freshman Bennedict Mathurin quickly becoming a star at Arizona". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  7. Pascoe, Bruce (January 16, 2021). "Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin is developing into a 'special player,' and more attention is coming". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  8. Pedersen, Brian (April 23, 2021). "Arizona wing Bennedict Mathurin to return for sophomore season". Arizona Desert Swarm. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  9. "Wildcats G Bennedict Mathurin drops 30 points in Arizona's win at Illinois". Arizona Sports. Associated Press. December 11, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  10. "2021-22 Pac-12 Men's Basketball All-Conference honors and Annual Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  11. Pascoe, Bruce (June 28, 2021). "Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin dropped from Canada's senior team, expected to join U19 event". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  12. Amacher, Ezra (July 4, 2021). "Bennedict Mathurin scores 30 points to lead Canada to win at FIBA U19 World Cup". SB Nation. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  13. Pascoe, Bruce (July 11, 2021). "Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin drops 31 points to lead Canada over Serbia for U19 bronze". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  14. "Bennedict Richard Felder Mathurin (CAN)'s profile – FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021". FIBA. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  15. Pascoe, Bruce (January 15, 2020). "Haitian-Canadian wing Ben Mathurin to pick either Arizona or Baylor on Wednesday". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  16. Conway, Tyler. "Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin Tried to Apologize After TCU Cheerleader Video Surfaced". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
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