Late in the second half of the Gators men’s basketball team’s Dec. 22 game against Grambling State, senior guard Bennett Andersen entered the game for UF.
Freshman guard Kajus Kublickas held the ball at the top of the key. He shook his defender and drove to the basket. With his defender’s head turned, a backdoor cut down the baseline opened up Andersen underneath the hoop to receive a bounce pass before banking in a layup for his first career points as a Florida Gator.
“The whole thing is kind of still a blur,” Andersen said. “My first thought was just, ‘I’m gonna look at the bench, celebrate with the bench,’ because I knew they would all be up and excited.”
The entire UF bench came to its feet, hyped for the walk-on’s bucket. Andersen looked back at his fellow teammates to celebrate before getting back on defense as the Stephen O’Connell Center erupted.
Andersen always wanted to attend UF for its academics. However, his love and passion for basketball made him want to have a role with the men’s program.
After spending his first three seasons as a team manager, he found himself with an opportunity to join the roster as a walk-on in his final year in Gainesville.
Florida head coach Todd Golden introduced a high school recruit to Andersen over the summer while on a visit to UF. He was introduced to the recruit as a team manager, but what Golden said after was something Andersen never saw coming.
“This is Bennett, he’s one of our managers,” Golden said. “We might give him a jersey next year, we’ll see.”
Andersen saw this as an eye-opening opportunity that he would later make the most of. His head coach never mentioned this as a possibility before the remarks Golden made.
It was a dream come true for the Tampa native. Both of Andersen’s parents attended UF, and he has been a Gators fan for as long as he can remember. He said he watched every football and dozens of Gator basketball games growing up.
From cheering on the Orange and Blue from his living room to running out of the tunnel with his jersey on, hard work and dedication played a significant role in getting Andersen to this point.
Feeling confident enough to step on the floor with some of the most talented young basketball players in the nation can be a daunting task, though it was one Andersen was up for.
He had a successful high school career playing at Jesuit High School and later became a three-time intramural champion at UF. However, there aren’t exactly top 50 recruits in the country walking into Southwest Recreation Center for pickup runs.
Andersen is still well aware of the physical challenges that come with being a player on the team.
“At first it was just very physically draining,” he said. “I would get home and just did not want to get off the couch. You just have to be very focused.”
There is more that goes into being a Division I basketball player than having the skills and fundamentals that are needed.
Confidence is an aspect of the game Andersen is still trying to work through as a player on the team.
“It’s still a challenge sometimes having the confidence every day,” he said. “There were a couple days getting in practice a little bit here and there as a manager where I was at least able to hold my own a little bit.”
However, feeling comfortable around the people within the program has never been an issue for Andersen. The season isn’t over yet, but it’s already been filled with memorable experiences, Andersen will cherish.
He said media day was one of his favorite days because he had the chance to meet his new teammates, most of them coming from the transfer portal.
Andersen’s teammates and coaches have always been supportive throughout, he said. However, he admitted the confidence he instilled in himself was the most important factor in believing he belonged on this stage.
“It was more self-motivation,” Andersen said. “I kind of just wanted to be a part of the program and do as much as I could.”
This was an attitude that did not go unnoticed by others in the program. After spending three seasons as team manager and one as a player, Andersen’s strong work ethic and humble mindset earned him the respect of his peers.
“I’ve been around a lot of team managers,” Gators men’s basketball video coordinator Jordan Jacobson said. “Bennett was different. Bennett had the mentality of somebody who was just bought into helping the program however possible, to an extent that I haven’t seen from very many people.”
The team-first mentality is something Andersen has always brought to the table.
“He’s just an extremely sharp smart kid who brought a positive attitude and was enthusiastic about everything,” Jacobson said.
Andersen was in charge of a variety of duties throughout his time as manager which he always took great pride in. Whether it was doing the laundry for the team or ordering individual takeout orders for each player, he fulfilled his role to the highest level.
Staying true to his craft as manager displayed the discipline and work ethic that would later allow him to earn a walk-on spot.
“It had been three years of him being in this program without having any realistic thought about being on the roster, but he still brought enthusiasm, and passion and attention to detail to all the roles that he was given,” Jacobson said.
Andersen put in the necessary time to improve his physical presence throughout his career. He utilized the training facility at the Hugh Hathcock Basketball Complex to not only work on his game, but to become stronger.
The senior has put on 20 pounds of muscle since before he was on the player roster, Jacobson said.
“Bennett brings an energy to the team that is very special,” Jacobson said. “His work ethic in the weight room has been awesome, and he’s been really happy to kind of have the attention and the resources of our strength and conditioning program at his disposal.”
Andersen is always thinking one step ahead. However, the next step is rarely for himself, it’s for others.
Earning a walk-on spot has not hindered the past relationships he created with the current team managers. The relationships he made during his first three seasons still hold a great deal of value to his friends within the program.
“Bennett is just a great guy,” team manager Mac Carnell said. “He’s one of those guys that just does the next right thing at all times. I can’t speak highly enough, he’s honestly one of my best friends.”
Being a student-athlete doesn’t come without schooling. While some Division I athletes may choose to take less challenging courses because they are already focused on playing professionally, Andersen did just the opposite.
The senior is currently in his final year in the UF industrial engineering program — one of the more difficult majors one could choose even if they aren’t playing for a Power 5 basketball program.
“He’s self-motivated in the sense that to make it as a walk-on at a Division I school is obviously very difficult,” Carnell said. “He’s also an engineering major, so you’ve got the additional really tough course work [as well].”
In his sophomore season, Andersen had the opportunity to earn a spot on the player roster.
However, the former coaching staff did not give him the spot. The main reason was because of how good of a job he was doing as a team manager, according to Carnell.
Andersen didn’t let this affect the way he approached the program. He stayed true to his work ethic, resulting in another walk-on opportunity under Golden’s staff.
Now, he finds himself on the bench supporting his teammates with a chance every game to check in. And if he does, he gets to witness his teammates smiling from the bench who know how hard he worked to get to this point.
“Becoming friends with those guys, getting to know them and making some good friends on the team,” Andersen said. “That’s been my favorite part.”
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @MaxTuckerUF25.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time. Max will be covering the Gators Golf teams this Fall for The Alligator.
