Corbin Benn doesn’t let anxiety hold him back

Corbin Benn of Spirit Lake is putting his best foot forward on the Timberlake High School junior varsity basketball team.

Benn’s anxiety is always on high while waiting to go into each game. But his teammates support his drive to play the game and push to get him more time on the court.

After a few plays, he loosens up and gets into the plays and the flow of the action.

“Just before I’m about ready to go in, I’m always scared and nervous, but as soon as I go in, it’s all fun,” he said.

Benn, 15, got interested in basketball at age 5 and latched onto the sport by watching games on television and playing with his family. He’s now a forward and a guard on the junior varsity team.

Doug Grant, junior varsity coach for Timberlake, watched Benn’s game grow stronger after several years coaching junior high basketball.

“He’s a great kid, and he loves to be part of the team,” Grant said.

Grant met him four years ago while he was in seventh grade. Benn went to a basketball camp, where he played 5-on-5 games and picked up team skills. As he went into high school, a few friends encouraged him to try out for the team.

“He was scared at first, but we talked him into it,” said Bryan Anderson, 15, a sophomore at Timberlake.

Benn made the C team as a freshman. Then he worked hard over the summer, hitting the hoops at a nearby park every morning with Anderson and other players he met through school. A few varsity players also helped his game. This year, the coach saw his game improve, and Benn made the cut for junior varsity.

“I was really proud of him for that,” Anderson said. “It was pretty cool.”

Benn said his favorite part is traveling with the team, playing hard and getting the chance to compete.

Grant said Benn shows up with a smile on his face, doesn’t complain if he doesn’t get a lot of time on the court and enjoys all the game time he can get.

Grant tries to give him as many minutes on the court as possible. Benn plays about five minutes a game and already doubled his time on the court as a freshman.

He plans to continue playing during high school and hopes to coach basketball at the high school or college level.

For now, he’s setting his sights on making points for the team and helping win one game at a time.

“I’d rather make our team better than make myself better,” said Benn. “But it goes either way. I want to become better myself.”

Grant said he’s not a starter, but Benn’s positive, coachable attitude stands out at each practice. He said Benn often shows up for practice before other teammates, working on his balance, footwork and release.

His long shot is his greatest strength on the court, and he can sink three-point shots with ease, Grant said.

“When he’s just with his friends, he’ll shoot the three all day long and hit it,” Grant said.

Benn has taken a few shots so far this season but hasn’t scored yet. The fast pace and crowd presence often make Benn nervous and excited.

Grant anticipates Benn’s solid performance during practice will carry over to games once he gets comfortable with the crowd.

But Grant is glad to see him attacking his fears and staying with the sport.

“The boy’s courage is something else,” he said. “Most players like that would give it up if they got that nervous and it was that hard to get out in the crowd.”