Boys Basketball Notebook: Beniwal’s perimeter production has Garnet Valley looking up
CONCORD — Genetically, Neel Beniwal might not have been the most likely to reach basketball proficiency.
The Garnet Valley wing’s mom is 5-foot-6. So is his dad. Just a sophomore, Beniwal stands 6-4, a guard whose height roughly matches that of Jaguars center Cade Brennan.
One endowment passed down from his dad has greatly helped, however. When Mahesh Beniwal moved to the United States for work from India, he fell in love with basketball. And he passed that along to Neel, who was born in the States.
“When my dad first moved here, he really liked watching Allen Iverson and he really liked basketball, so he just put me into basketball,” Neel said last week. “And ever since, I just liked basketball.”
That passion has paid dividends for Neel and the Jaguars. Beniwal leads Delaware County with 49 made 3-pointers this season, an average of about three per game. He’s averaging 15.0 points per game, second on Garnet Valley, which has 12 wins and is on its way to a fourth straight District 1 playoff berth.
Beniwal has taken big strides from his freshman year, when he was a regular in the rotation. He averaged 3.9 points per game, with 15 of his 33 made baskets coming from behind the arc as he and fellow freshman Carl Schaller got chances to impress.
This season, Schaller has grown from 5-2 to 5-6 and become one of the Central League’s better point guards, averaging 11.1 points per game. And Beniwal has become a premier shooter. Most of his points still originate behind the 3-point line (49 of 84 made baskets), but he has diversified his game.
Beniwal started playing basketball at age 5 at BYC. After playing football in middle school, he decided to specialize in hoops, and his father set him up with a personal trainer. His dedication has led to a smoother shooting form, and combined with a naturally high release point, it’s fueled a stellar sophomore season.
“With my trainer, we would always practice shooting,” Beniwal said. “Before and after, we’d practice a lot of scoring. I’ve been getting my shot (down) and getting to know my shot well. I’ve been getting more and more range.”
Beniwal is a big reason why the Jaguars haven’t missed a beat this season despite graduating their two top scorers from last year – Austin Laughlin, the program’s all-time leading scorer, and Connor O’Brien. Garnet Valley won 16 games in 2017-18, advancing to the semifinals of the Central League and falling in the first round of the District 1 Class 6A tournament.
This year’s squad is slightly less high-flying, averaging 61.9 points per game as opposed to 67.7. But with two sophomores averaging in double-figures and plenty of underclassmen among the contributors, coach Mike Brown has a rotation that could endure for multiple seasons, even after the departure of leading scorer Greg Vlassopoulos.
Beniwal is as big a reason as any for that.
“More teams are going to know that I’m able to shoot,” Beniwal said. “So I’m going to be able to show off that I can drive, too, and then find my teammates open and kick the ball out to them.”
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Basketball is becoming increasingly perimeter-oriented, as Beniwal and company suggest. But there’s still plenty of room for bigs who can score in the post, and this season has seen a few of them.
Glen Mills’ Aaron Thompson is the leading scorer for the Bulls at 16.0 points per game. That includes two games of 34 points, including in a one-point upset win over Academy Park.
Enoch Clark is Ridley’s leading scorer at 17.1 ppg, which also includes two games of 34 points. Where Thompson has made one 3-pointer this season, Clark doesn’t have one, doing his work on the boards and in the lane for the Green Raiders, who have won seven straight.
“I love having a guy like that just to feed to all the time when nobody else is knocking down shots,” Ridley guard Nasir Santiago said of Clark after last week’s win over Upper Darby. “We know he’s a hell of a player and we can rely on him to knock down shots and get into the paint easily.”
Ridley is in the bottom third of the Central League in terms of made 3-pointers with 78, led by Jack Grace’s 24 makes. The Green Raiders have had four games of two or fewer 3-point field goals made this season, and are 4-0 in those outings.
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The Playoff Picture >> As of Tuesday night, 11 Delco boys teams were in playoff position. Were the seeds handed out now…
In Class 6A, Chester (13-4) would be in line for a bye as the sixth seed. Garnet Valley (12-5) would host a first-round game at No. 11, while Ridley (12-5) and Haverford (10-7) would also be in the 24-team tournament at 21st and 23rd, respectively. Upper Darby (7-9) needs to finish strong to rise from 27th into the field.
Penncrest (13-5) is situated as the No. 2 seed in Class 5A. Sun Valley (13-5) and Penn Wood (11-6) are positioned for home games in sixth and seventh, respectively. Also in the field is Academy Park (13-6, 10th) and Radnor (9-9, 14th).
Glen Mills (4-13) is fourth out of four teams in the Class 4A field, but all four teams make that tournament. In 2A, Delco Christian (10-7) is in line for the second seed in a four-team tourney. Both Christian Academy (fifth at 8-7) and Chester Charter School for the Arts (sixth at 9-9) are on the outside looking in at Class A’s four-team knockout rounds.
