Boiler Diehards
Kylie Murphy Galbreth · 27m ·Just a little happy post to share with you all from down here in Southern IN!
James Rice
17h ·Jack Benter
I think most Brownstown natives would agree that Jack is probably the best basketball player to have worn a Brownstown uniform. I was lucky enough to be a member of a basketball team at Brownstown in 1968-69 that had 4 of the starting 5 receive full ride scholarships to Division 1 NCAA colleges: Gale Sommers (VMI), Steve Sterling (Stetson), Larry Garloch (Miami of Ohio), and John Reid (Austin Peay). I rarely played because of the incredible talent on our team, but I want to share that all four of my teammates who received those full rides were kind and gracious people. I see that same attribute in Jack Benter.
I have always enjoyed basketball, and the Purdue-IU rivalry was one of the first things I learned about as a little boy. Growing up in Southern Indiana meant that most of us followed IU more closely than Purdue.
While I will continue to enjoy basketball and follow IU, the culture that Matt Painter has created at Purdue is a phenomenon rarely seen now that the portal system has begun to ravage college basketball. I have become a rabid Purdue fan, because of that culture, and because a Brownstown player, namely Jack Benter, is now part of that culture. And that gets to the point of me taking the time to write these words.
Jack Benter's father, Dave, is undoubtedly the best coach in the history of Brownstown, and I've watched how he has conducted himself as a coach and a person. I have great respect for him on both counts. I watched as father hugged son after winning the State Championship last year and it was an emotional and powerful moment.
Fast forward to Jack getting a scholarship to play basketball at Purdue, and being red-shirted as a freshman. I've never seen a red-shirt freshman in Division 1 basketball that has exhibited such support for his teammates. Jack is the first one to encourage his teammates on the floor during the games. He is full of energy and enthusiasm, and you know he must be so anxious to be on that floor. But he understands the great team culture he is part of, and when none of us can see, you can rest assured he is giving his all in every practice -- not just to make his game better, but to make his team better. I've never seen a university put a spotlight on a red-shirt freshman like Purdue continues to do for Jack. If you follow Purdue on social media, you know Jack is regularly shown in photographs, often as much as those who play every game. I believe there are two reasons for that: 1) Purdue is committed to succeeding as a TEAM, and 2) Jack epitomizes what the Purdue culture is all about.
And who is most to credit for Jack's success? No doubt, Jack's parents. How we raise our kids and the values we teach them will show in their lives as time passes.
In a world that has become "look at me, how great I am", the attraction of a skilled, yet humble and quiet person is powerful and something to be honored. I'm glad Jack is part of the Purdue program, and I'm thankful for that program. College basketball is in a dangerous place, much like our entire culture is in a dangerous place, and as Brownstown natives we should all be fans for the right reasons. For just awhile, even the IU fans in our community should be tipping their hearts and hats to Jack and his teammates at Purdue. I'm looking forward to the next four years and seeing Jack out on that floor, exhibiting his skills, his grace, his composure, his leadership, and most of all, the dignity that goes with being a compassionate and faithful person.
