LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KTSM) – Las Cruces High School point guard, William “Deuce” Benjamin Jr. announced where he would be playing basketball at the next level on Saturday evening.
“Deuce” Benjamin Jr. will be wearing the crimson red and white uniforms as he announced his commitment to New Mexico State University on social media.
Benjamin Jr. was a target for new NM State men’s basketball head coach Greg Heiar. The Las Cruces Sun-News reported last weekend that Heiar had made contact with the Las Cruces High School star. A source close to the situation confirmed Heiar’s interest in Benjamin on Monday.
Benjamin Jr. was one of the top players at the high school level in the state of New Mexico.
In his junior year, Benjamin Jr., was named the 2020-21 Gatorade New Mexico Boys Basketball Player of the Year which was announced by the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA).
In his senior year, the 6-foot-1 guard averaged 25.3 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game and led the Bulldawgs to a 31-1 record that year.
The only loss on the season came in last season’s NMAA boys’ basketball 5A championship game against Volcano Vista, where the Bulldawgs fell 66-55 in an overtime thriller.
Now, “Deuce” will be at the same program his father and former head coach, William Benjamin Sr., played for in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Benjamin Sr. was part of the Aggies’ best squads in the nation back then. Through his tenure with New Mexico State, Benjamin led NM State to a 95-30 overall mark which included a 55-17 mark in Big West action.
Benjamin Sr. went to one NIT (1989) and a trio of NCAA Tournaments (1990, 1991 and 1992) during his time with the Aggies’.
He was a great defensive player for NM State so by the time his career came to an end his 209 steals were the most by any Aggie in the history of the program. That was a record that stood until 2012 when Hernst Laroche broke it with 216 career steals. Right now, Benjamin Sr. is ranked third in career steals in Aggie history.
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