Medicine Hat’s Bubu Benjamin cracks Canadian U18 basketball team

Benjamin is the first local ever to make Canada’s national U18 men’s basketball team, cracking the 12-man roster ahead of the FIBA U18 Americas Championship tournament this week.

Now, the Team Canada small forward is getting the chance to not only match up against the top young players in the country, but to test his skills against international competition.

“I feel like it’s a good challenge, it’s a good measure of how good you are or how good you think you are,” said Benjamin. “So, it’s gone really well ever since I got here.”

One of the brightest stars the Colts program has produced in recent memory, Benjamin won team MVP honours during the 2019-20 high school season and was one of the province’s top players for McCoy.

That year he averaged 27.2 points per game along with 10.4 rebounds per game, catching the attention of several programs around the country.

Following the start of the pandemic, Benjamin transferred to Calgary’s Edge School program where he has starred ever since.

His time with the Colts still stands out however, as it was an opportunity to play the sport he loves surrounded by his family and community.

“The main thing I remember is just the energy, the environment,” said Benjamin. “Just playing in front of my family and friends, seeing my friends every single day, just that hometown environment.”

Colts head coach B.J. Melle admitted watching Benjamin’s debut with the national team will be an emotional experience, seeing one of his own student-athletes wear the red and white.

Melle’s background with Benjamin dates back over half a decade ago and said he was a polished player even coming out of junior high.

“I remember Mr. Mueller from St. Mary’s brought him up in Grade 6, he was his teacher for club basketball,” said Melle. “That was his first experience with basketball and he could already touch the rim in Grade 6. Just to see how far he’s come over the last six years has been incredible.”

Sporting the maple leaf will have extra meaning for the Benjamin family as a whole this week.

Bubu’s parents moved to Canada from South Sudan two decades ago wanting to give their family a new start with an almost endless source of opportunity.

Their three children were all born on Canadian soil and Bubu said he takes pride cracking the U18 roster as a second-generation Canadian.

“Being immigrants and coming to Canada trying to make a new life for me and my siblings, I feel like it’s a really big deal that I’m able to represent our country… in a new country for my parents,” said Benjamin. “So, I feel like that’s really big.”

Bubu’s younger brother Marodama is the latest Benjamin to play for the Colts program and was recently named a league first team all-star.

“Being immigrants and coming to Canada trying to make a new life for me and my siblings, I feel like it’s a really big deal that I’m able to represent our country… in a new country for my parents,” said Benjamin. “So, I feel like that’s really big.”

The burgeoning talent showcased by the brothers has seen the family split between Calgary and Medicine Hat, wanting to provide as much support as possible.

“My mom and dad have sacrificed so much splitting up the family, half of us in Calgary and half of us in Medicine Hat,” said Marodama. “It’s just hard work pays off, I guess.”

Marodama’s trajectory is climbing quickly especially considering he’s only in Grade 10 and dreams of one day joining his brother on the national stage.

“I think it would mean a lot, not just for ourselves but for every coach we’ve ever played for,” said Marodama. “Especially Mr. Melle, showing that we can come from a small town, play at McCoy High School and still play at the national level.”

Canada’s first game at the tournament will be played against the host Mexican team at 9:30 pm MST and there’s no word yet on where Benjamin will slot into the lineup.

Just getting to this moment has been years in the making not only for Bubu, but those closest around him.

And, he’s ready to give back to the country that’s given his family so much.

“I owe everything to Canada, so it just feels great being able to play in the Canadian jersey,” said Benjamin.

by Scott Roblin

Medicine Hat’s Bubu Benjamin cracks Canadian U18 basketball team

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