The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the parents, fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Final 4 is taking place this weekend in San Antonio and we could not be more excited to see all those #1 seeds trying to win a title! HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with Carter Andersen about his son Bennett playing for Coach Todd Golden and making the Final 4.
You are an attorney in Tampa, FL: how do you balance paying the bills with getting to watch your son Bennett play basketball? We drive to Gainesville and back several times/year and will often arrive home after midnight. It is exhausting…but so much fun: we love this team, so we bite the bullet.
At Jesuit High School he did basketball/track and field: which sport was he best at, and which sport did he enjoy the most? He was best at basketball and enjoyed it the most. He was co-captain of the basketball team as a senior along with his best friend, and they were later co-valedictorians. He was not a superstar but did lead his team in PPG/RPG/APG as a senior. In track, he made it to the regionals in the high jump and the 300-meter hurdles, and also did the long jump/triple jump.
You and your wife Dana both went to Florida for college: how easy a decision was it for Bennett to follow in your footsteps? He was an industrial engineering major and went to UF for academic reasons. He is a lifelong Gators fan but is wise beyond his years. He had some opportunities to go to other big-time schools, but received a large academic scholarship from the state to go to Florida. This was the 1st year that he was paying his own tuition…but at practice yesterday he was surprised with a $10,000 scholarship from Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux (https://x.com/GatorsMBK/status/1907187578773643323). That will cover most of his grad school tuition, and I am so happy for him!
He spent 3 years as a manager for the Gators basketball team before becoming a walk-on in 2023: how was he able to finally make the leap? Coach Todd Golden finished his 1st year and was doing some recruiting out of the portal. As a manger Bennett would help pick up recruits at the airport/drive them around campus in a golf cart/get them a meal/etc. Golden was talking to 1 recruit and mentioned that he might make Bennett a walk-on…and about a month later he did!
What makes Golden such a great coach? He is the most positive leader you can imagine. I have heard stories about the concept of “gratefulness” and how infectious it is with him and his staff/managers/players. You kind of saw it during the postgame interview after beating Texas Tech: Walter Clayton Jr. said that in times of adversity they stick together, and Thomas Haugh said he was honored to be on the team. That is how Bennett feels: grateful and honored.
Last season he scored the 1st 2 PTS of his career on a layup vs. Grambling, then he made a couple more baskets this month vs. Alabama in the SEC tourney and vs. Maryland in the NCAA tourney: how exciting has it been to see him succeed in real games? It has been awesome. My wife and I were at the Grambling game in December of 2023. He got into the game in the final minute, cut to the basket, and made a reverse layup. We were so happy to be there to see it. I realized that he has played and practiced so much in his life that he knew exactly what to do with the ball when he caught the pass.
He wears #22 because your favorite former Gator wore the same #: what is your favorite memory of Emmitt Smith? Dana and I were freshmen in 1987 when Emmitt was also a freshman. He did not start the 1st game at Miami but still gained close to 100 yards in the 2nd half. Emmitt has been such a great ambassador for the school, and he is my favorite Gator ever.
He went viral last weekend after a wide-eyed locker room interview with a female student reporter for ESPN Gainesville (https://x.com/talia_baia/status/1905465594608320870): have you seen the clip, and what was your reaction? I saw the clip before it went viral and thought, “What a nice interview!”. Talia Baia asked him 3 questions and he gave 3 thoughtful answers: he is a nice kid and there was nothing going on. She has been the student reporter this season and we have seen her do great work all year. It was 2 innocent kids doing their jobs, so we thought the fact that it went viral was funny! Bennett later said that if you told him that he would make a basket in the Sweet 16 and reach the Final 4, then he would be happy to endure a little embarrassment along the way.
Your son Wilson played on USA Baseball’s 15-U team: who is the best athlete in the family? Can I plead the 5th?! My other sons Bennett/Carter would probably say that Wilson is the best, but I am a fan of all 3.
He won 3 school intramural titles: any predictions for the Final 4, and if he wins an NCAA title then will he retire as a 4-time undefeated champ?! I believe in the Gators. They have the right/people approach to get it done. It will be a dogfight against Auburn and against whoever is in the title game, but I like that we have Walter Clayton Jr. on our team.
