Senior Brittney Benzio tries to help her teammates as she fights her way back from injury.
W. BASKETBALL: The View from the Sidelines
1/17/2014 8:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
STATESBORO, Ga. – Senior forward Brittney Benzio sits at the end of the bench, usually in the seat after the last dressed player, pointing out strategic adjustments with her keen veteran eye.
"When I see stuff in a game that they may not recognize, I definitely tell them, 'keep your eye out for an open shot or a certain pass,'" she says.
Sophomore point guard Alexis Sams just had surgery so she has to be protected in case a ball or player were to suddenly come flying at her. She sits close to athletic trainer Rachel Ploor with a clipboard, tracking offensive efficiency and sharing it with the team.
"I'll let the coaches glance at it during timeouts and at halftime," Sams says. "Just trying to let them know what's working and what's not."
Sophomore forward Patrice Butler sits at the end of the bench and talks to her teammates about tendencies of the opponents' personnel.
"I know at least two or three people that I've played with or against on almost every team that plays in the SoCon," Butler says. "I just try to let my teammates know who does this, and who does that, and I think that helps a lot. And I just try to give them confidence no matter who we're playing against."
They are the first to tell you that their location during Georgia Southern women's basketball games is not at all where they would prefer. They would certainly rather be on the court, in the thick of the action, with much more control over what is happening between the lines.
But when the Eagles suit up against Davidson Saturday at 5 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse, the trio will be relegated to their familiar, yet somewhat undesired spots. The circumstances of how they arrived at their current destination are heartbreaking for Benzio and Sams and by-design for Butler.
Benzio got hurt in practice six games into the 2012-13 season and missed the rest of the year. Cleared in July, she made it through all the preseason individual workouts and then re-aggravated the injury just after team workouts began in October.
"I started the first couple weeks of practice, everything was fine, and then just out of nowhere - aggravating pain again," Benzio says.
Sams took over the point guard role as a freshman last season. She missed her senior year in high school with a knee injury and missed a chunk of her first preseason at Georgia Southern. Her Eagle debut came against Kent State last November, and five games later, she was in the starting five for the rest of the year, playing nearly 30 minutes a game.
She started the 2013-14 opener at Auburn and scored 11 points in 36 minutes. In the second game, a midweek contest at No. 7 Kentucky, Sams went down again.
Same injury, other knee.
"I knew it happened as soon as I did it so the frustration and the thought that I had to go through it all again just hit me," Sams says.
Butler's path was predetermined. She played her freshman year at Furman, transferred to Georgia Southern and has to sit out a year in accordance with NCAA rules. She does get to practice with the team, but that does not make having to be a bystander for games any easier.
"It's hard but the team helps me out and being around them helps me get mentally-prepared for next year so I know what I need to do to get better," says Butler, who is also able to draw on the experience of sophomore forward Briana Jones, who transferred in from James Madison and sat out last season. "Bri J and I played together in AAU so when I told her I was coming, she said 'it's going to be hard, but you're going to get through it and everybody is going to help you through it.'"
The positives of having to watch your teammates compete from the sideline are few, but one all three share is the fresh perspective they are gaining from the bench that will help them when they are able to play.
"Since the program is kind of new to everybody, when I first got hurt, I saw a huge difference, being able to watch the offense instead of being thrown into it, and I could see all the different reads and options," says Benzio.
"There are so many options in one play, and everybody has a chance to score, but it's kind of hard to see those options when you are running through the play on the floor at a particular speed, especially when the other team is trying to rush you," says Butler. "Sometimes, when you are on the bench, it's easier to see those options."
"It keeps me more focused on the game, paying attention more to the details of what we're running," says Sams. "For the future, I can understand more of why we're running a certain play and which ones are working more."
So if the entire coaching staff were to get lost on the way to the gym, you could get the team into the right offensive and defensive sets?
"Of course, I'd like my coaches to be there to help me," Sams says with a smile, "but I think I could call certain plays depending on what the defense is giving us. It'd be a lot more responsibility, but I think I could do that."
Sams and Butler have three years of eligibility remaining to look forward to, but Benzio's return to game action is on the horizon. She is getting closer, pushing hard, participating in certain practice drills and suiting up with the team for pre-game warm-ups. She is hopeful that go-time will come soon and that her time having to watch from the sidelines will help her step in right away.
"When I did comeback at the beginning of this year, I felt way more comfortable," she says. "Hopefully, what I've seen can help me jump in and contribute right away.
"I'm so anxious, you know, it's my senior year and I've been with these girls for four years. I'm excited. I think we're going in a great direction. We fought through some struggles and fought through for some wins. I just can't wait, even if it's not many minutes, just being out there."
"When I see stuff in a game that they may not recognize, I definitely tell them, 'keep your eye out for an open shot or a certain pass,'" she says.
Sophomore point guard Alexis Sams just had surgery so she has to be protected in case a ball or player were to suddenly come flying at her. She sits close to athletic trainer Rachel Ploor with a clipboard, tracking offensive efficiency and sharing it with the team.
"I'll let the coaches glance at it during timeouts and at halftime," Sams says. "Just trying to let them know what's working and what's not."
Sophomore forward Patrice Butler sits at the end of the bench and talks to her teammates about tendencies of the opponents' personnel.
"I know at least two or three people that I've played with or against on almost every team that plays in the SoCon," Butler says. "I just try to let my teammates know who does this, and who does that, and I think that helps a lot. And I just try to give them confidence no matter who we're playing against."
They are the first to tell you that their location during Georgia Southern women's basketball games is not at all where they would prefer. They would certainly rather be on the court, in the thick of the action, with much more control over what is happening between the lines.
But when the Eagles suit up against Davidson Saturday at 5 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse, the trio will be relegated to their familiar, yet somewhat undesired spots. The circumstances of how they arrived at their current destination are heartbreaking for Benzio and Sams and by-design for Butler.
Benzio got hurt in practice six games into the 2012-13 season and missed the rest of the year. Cleared in July, she made it through all the preseason individual workouts and then re-aggravated the injury just after team workouts began in October.
"I started the first couple weeks of practice, everything was fine, and then just out of nowhere - aggravating pain again," Benzio says.
Sams took over the point guard role as a freshman last season. She missed her senior year in high school with a knee injury and missed a chunk of her first preseason at Georgia Southern. Her Eagle debut came against Kent State last November, and five games later, she was in the starting five for the rest of the year, playing nearly 30 minutes a game.
She started the 2013-14 opener at Auburn and scored 11 points in 36 minutes. In the second game, a midweek contest at No. 7 Kentucky, Sams went down again.
Same injury, other knee.
"I knew it happened as soon as I did it so the frustration and the thought that I had to go through it all again just hit me," Sams says.
Butler's path was predetermined. She played her freshman year at Furman, transferred to Georgia Southern and has to sit out a year in accordance with NCAA rules. She does get to practice with the team, but that does not make having to be a bystander for games any easier.
"It's hard but the team helps me out and being around them helps me get mentally-prepared for next year so I know what I need to do to get better," says Butler, who is also able to draw on the experience of sophomore forward Briana Jones, who transferred in from James Madison and sat out last season. "Bri J and I played together in AAU so when I told her I was coming, she said 'it's going to be hard, but you're going to get through it and everybody is going to help you through it.'"
The positives of having to watch your teammates compete from the sideline are few, but one all three share is the fresh perspective they are gaining from the bench that will help them when they are able to play.
"Since the program is kind of new to everybody, when I first got hurt, I saw a huge difference, being able to watch the offense instead of being thrown into it, and I could see all the different reads and options," says Benzio.
"There are so many options in one play, and everybody has a chance to score, but it's kind of hard to see those options when you are running through the play on the floor at a particular speed, especially when the other team is trying to rush you," says Butler. "Sometimes, when you are on the bench, it's easier to see those options."
"It keeps me more focused on the game, paying attention more to the details of what we're running," says Sams. "For the future, I can understand more of why we're running a certain play and which ones are working more."
So if the entire coaching staff were to get lost on the way to the gym, you could get the team into the right offensive and defensive sets?
"Of course, I'd like my coaches to be there to help me," Sams says with a smile, "but I think I could call certain plays depending on what the defense is giving us. It'd be a lot more responsibility, but I think I could do that."
Sams and Butler have three years of eligibility remaining to look forward to, but Benzio's return to game action is on the horizon. She is getting closer, pushing hard, participating in certain practice drills and suiting up with the team for pre-game warm-ups. She is hopeful that go-time will come soon and that her time having to watch from the sidelines will help her step in right away.
"When I did comeback at the beginning of this year, I felt way more comfortable," she says. "Hopefully, what I've seen can help me jump in and contribute right away.
"I'm so anxious, you know, it's my senior year and I've been with these girls for four years. I'm excited. I think we're going in a great direction. We fought through some struggles and fought through for some wins. I just can't wait, even if it's not many minutes, just being out there."
Georgia Southern Football Media Availability (3/3/26)
Tuesday, March 03
The GATA Zone - Women's Basketball Post Season
Tuesday, March 03
2026 Only For Southern
Thursday, February 26
2026 Georgia Southern Football Ticket Video
Wednesday, February 25
