Lake Fong, Post-Gazette Pitt is 16-1 in games Keith Benjamin, right, scores six or more points.

By Ray Fittipaldo
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Among the regulars in Pitt's nine-man rotation, Keith Benjamin plays the fewest minutes. Benjamin, a 6-foot-2 junior from Mount Vernon, N.Y., plays about 13 minutes per game, which on many occasions is not enough time to work up a good sweat.

As such, being a productive player can sometimes be a hit-or-miss proposition. Lately, Benjamin has been making the most of his limited opportunities and is proving to be an indispensable part of coach Jamie Dixon's lineup.

After struggling the final two weeks of December, Benjamin has been near flawless off the bench in the first two Big East games. He was 5 for 7 from the field, including 3 for 3 from 3-point range, and scored 13 points against Syracuse and South Florida.

"He only had six points [at Syracuse], but his six points were big," sophomore guard Levance Fields said. "Both 3s came at crucial times. He's been very solid. He doesn't get talked about a lot, but that's fine with him and fine with the team."

Against South Florida, Benjamin was 3 for 4 from the field and played 18 minutes, tying a season high. In the 74-66 victory against the Orange, Benjamin made a couple of timely 3-pointers in the first half when Pitt (14-2, 2-0) was struggling. His 3-pointer with 5:10 remaining broke a five-minute drought without a field goal and pulled the Panthers within three points.

If scoring six and seven points in a game does not seem like much, consider this statistic: In games Benjamin has scored six or more points since the beginning of last season, Pitt is 16-1. In games he scores five or fewer, the Panthers are 23-9.

"I've always felt like I was a hidden asset for this team," Benjamin said. "It's a big difference when I make a shot. Everyone is up and everybody gets that energy flowing. When they come back in, they're ready to get the job done.

"I've always felt like my heart and my spirit touches the team in some type of way. I know a lot of people don't see that, but it's not up to me to decide who sees it. I just want to go out and get the job done and be the most energetic player I can be every time I'm out there."

Dixon would be hard-pressed to find a player who does more with less. Benjamin is eighth in scoring with 4.5 points per game, but he compares quite favorably when his points are measured over minutes instead of games.

When measured against Pitt's other reserves in terms of minutes played, Benjamin is right there with Sam Young and Ronald Ramon. Young is Pitt's most productive reserve with 94 points in 236 minutes. Ramon is next with 138 points in 359 minutes. Benjamin is not far behind with 72 points in 203 minutes.

"He's played well the last couple of games, no question," said Dixon, whose team travels to Chicago tomorrow to play DePaul in a game that will be televised by ESPN2. "He's done some good things on the offensive end. He's hit a couple of big 3s. But the main thing, the most important thing where he can help us is at the defensive end. He understands that.

"He's been playing very well. He's been playing more minutes the last couple of games as he has defended better. I think he's getting better."

Benjamin's role appears to be expanding. With Young playing most of his minutes at power forward recently, Benjamin has been getting more minutes as Mike Cook's backup at small forward.

Benjamin came to Pitt as a highly touted recruit. And while every player wants to be a starter and score a lot of points, Benjamin is finding his role fulfilling. That was not always the case.

"The more I embrace this role the better we play," Benjamin said. "I'm starting to see my role for what it's worth. I definitely like my role. This is a deep team. You don't get anywhere being selfish.

"I don't want to be that guy who drops off. If somebody in the starting five or one of the other reserves isn't getting the job done, I want to be the guy who always gets the job done.

"I just want to do what I can when I get out there and make an impact every time I step on the court. If there is a shot to be made or a stop to get, I'll do my best to get it while I'm out there."