Here is the real reason Florida Gator fans should be searching for Bennett Andersen
Florida Basketball has many characters and fun narratives to follow; one of them over the past month has been Bennett Andersen. The former manager turned walk-on scored his first career points at the end of Florida’s SEC Tournament win over Alabama and scored again against Maryland in the Sweet 16.
Andersen also had a fun moment after that win where he got to place the placard on the bracket board to advance the Gators.
And yet, right now, if you were to search Florida Gators Basketball and/or Bennett Andersen on Google right now, none of that is what pops up.
Florida Basketball: Why Is This A Story?
Andersen’s overall story with Florida is the underdog story people claim they have been missing this March Madness. Everyone has been whining about all the No. 1 seeds winning and how there are no great stories to cling to.
All his teammates love him, and their reactions on the bench when he scored against Alabama and Maryland have been some of the best moments of Florida’s season.
That is where Andersen should be getting his shine, not because some online trolls looked for something nefarious in an interview.
Andersen had an interview with ESPN Gainesville’s Talia Baia after Friday’s win. The questions were fine, and the answers were standard.
Yet the online community picked up on Andersen’s facial expressions and turned it into a roast session of Andersen.
Online comments are what they are, but now the “story” has been picked up by almost everyone, all looking to pile on with headlines such as “Is he drooling?”
Of all outlets, I can’t believe I agree with Barstool Sports the most on this subject. Their personality Reags touched on the subject and said:
“This is Bennett Andersen’s time to shine. I love the interview too. I don’t get the whole flirty thing? Seems like the dude is pumped that he scored 2 points in the NCAA Tournament, which is the ultimate line for the next 50 years of your life. If I was a walk-on and scored in the NCAA Tournament I’d have a picture of that on every single shirt I wore. It wasn’t against Norfolk State either, that was a Sweet 16 bucket. You earned the right to brag about that. The guy clearly knows his role, look at his bio. It has 2 bullet points and the second one is perfect for a walk-on.”
It would be a fairy tale ending if Florida could get ahead by enough in the Final Four that Andersen could get in. And that’s what we should celebrate and remember with Andersen.
