Exclusive: Deuce Benjamin, Former NM State Aggie, Finds New Home for Next Season + My NBA Finals Pick - Will Pascal Hoist Up The Larry O'B?
Hello, Everyone.
I want to thank you for reading AGGREGATOR, where a lot of the time, this column has stories or information you have not read anywhere else.
It may sound crazy, but it’s true. AGGREGATOR is the only media publication to interview Mike Peake since the incident at UNM. Now, I can hear the boo birds in the distance. “BOOOO!!!! James, Why would you be proud of such a thing?”
Umm, because I am not a reporter by trade. I am a banker who likes to write, and I scooped major media outlets like ESPN, CNN, and all the local papers by getting to talk to Mike Peake about something no one else has had the privilege to do. I did it, and I could do it again.
I was the first person to put out a column when Jerry Kill resigned, and as much as this hurts me to say, I was entrusted with announcing the passing of former Aggies Andre Seldon and Charley Johnson on AGGREGATOR. While I am sad to be the bearer of bad news, those 5 stories I published with those things combined did about 10x what the Las Cruces Sun-News does according to their circulation.
It’s all because you trust me. Forgive me for being a little boastful, but this reader-supported publication, which you are a part of has made me a much better writer and also trusted in many circles. A heartfelt thank you for that.
In the meantime, I urge you to support independent writers. While the Sun News is run by a worldwide conglomerate who strips down newspapers for spare parts, I am just one man writing as hard as I can, and I also enjoy entertaining you!
For $5 a month or about a dime a day for annual, you can support a local entity with your Aggies news!
Thank You!
Now, I got to be honest. Was going to write tomorrow night, but something big happened and I was made aware of it, and I wanted to publish a story. Writers get happy when they can write “EXCLUSIVE” on something.
It’s like a little kid saying “Nah, Nah… I got something you don’t got!”
Funny, but I am learning this industry’s politics pretty well.
Now, I also do it because I know El Paso and Las Cruces Media will report this story, and not cite my story as the originating source of the news.
ESPN got in trouble with that a couple years ago, where all of their news on ESPN.com was sourced from outside of their network, and not scooped by their writers.
Read this story when you get a chance. It made me think a lot about this industry.
It’s a 14 year old article, and I was still working at a bank when I read it, but ethics were my big thing.
Sometimes, Nick Coppola may post something slightly before me, or maybe Grammer from the ABQJ, and that’s cool. They are slightly more plugged in than I am, and if I see their posts first before my own uncovering, you source that person and I would. It’s the ethical thing to do.
Sometimes it happens at the same time. Sometimes you do it slightly after but you didn’t see the others beat you to the punch. Interesting how these discussions are at times.
But aside from Nick, no other local reporter has ever talked to me like a peer, so here I am at 11pm breaking a story for most of you.
Local news will post about it tomorrow and pretend they didn’t see me work, but you and I will know it first. Our little secret :)
Here it is
Deuce Benjamin, Former NM State Aggie Player Who Sued The School as Part of the Hazing Scandal Lands at D2 Minot State
First on AGGREGATOR:
William Benjamin II, Known as “Deuce” Benjamin, who was one of the plaintiffs in the NM State 2022-23 Hazing Scandal, where he and his father, former Aggie William Benjamin Sr. Settled for $6 Million between the two of them, has found a new school.
Fresh out of eligibility at the Junior College Level, where he played for NM Junior College in Hobbs, Benjamin has found a home with the Minot State Beavers of the NISC, A Division 2 school
Benjamin was an effective player for the Hobbs, NM based NM Junior College Thunderbirds, where they were nationally ranked both years he was there, although he came off the bench. Here’s a summary of what he did…
2023–24 Season Recap (11.3 PPG | 42.9 FG% | 38.8 3PT%)
As a freshman guard in the 2023–24 season, Deuce Benjamin played in 32 games and averaged 11.3 points per game while shooting a solid 42.9% from the field. His 38.8% from three-point range and 79.4% mark at the free throw line showed a polished shooting stroke, especially impressive for a first-year player coming off the bench. Benjamin added 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game, carving out a role as a reliable scorer in limited minutes. His combination of shot-making and poise made him one of the more consistent contributors on a deep roster, particularly as a perimeter threat who could also convert at the line.
2024–25 Season Recap (9.3 PPG | 35.3 FG% | 31.6 3PT%)
In his second year at New Mexico Junior College, Benjamin averaged 9.3 points across 31 games, again in a reserve role. Though his shooting percentages dipped slightly, he increased his assists to 1.5 per game and remained steady at the line (78.7%). He had several strong outings, including:
Dec. 2 vs. Richland: 21 points (7-14 FG, 4-10 3PT), 3-3 FT
Feb. 10 at Western Texas: 21 points (7-16 FG, 5-11 3PT), 2-2 FT
Nov. 7 vs. Redlands CC: 11 points in just 19 minutes (5-7 FG)
Each performance highlighted his scoring spark and ability to stretch the floor.
Minot State is no slouch either.
Minot State wrapped up a strong 2024–25 campaign with a 26-10 overall record and a 14-8 mark in NSIC play, good for a .722 winning percentage. The Beavers were nearly unbeatable at home, finishing 13-1 in the Minot State Dome, and claimed notable non-conference victories including a 3OT thriller vs. East Central (108-99) and a dominant showing at the Puerto Rico Classic (3-0 record with a +74 point differential). They also made a deep NSIC Tournament run, taking down Sioux Falls, Concordia-St. Paul, and Mankato before falling in the title game to MSU Moorhead.
Their season ended in the NCAA Central Regional quarterfinals, where they fell to Concordia-St. Paul, 83-71, in Topeka, Kansas.
Now, Deuce playing a reserve role for NMJC, which was a very deep team, where even last year’s teammates made some impact on D1 schools, has obviously not impacted his ability to find his next stop.
Minot State has a new coach in Randall Herbst, who will put his stamp on the team, and Deuce will have a shot to continue his college career.
One thing I should mention before I continue. I am reporting this story, because it is of local interest, and it should be noted that a former Aggie like Benjamin, especially one as noteworthy as him, is worth the effort in writing out this story.
My Take: I think D2 is always what my belief was going to be for Deuce to continue his career. Now, I also thought University of the Southwest, also in Hobbs, an NAIA school which plays the Aggies was also a possibility, but Benjamin is much older now and as an adult, he is looking to spread his wings at a new stop far away.
NM Junior College was nationally ranked last year, ranked as high as #2. There was a brief moment where I thought Deuce’s NMJC might end up meeting Greg Heiar’s Trinity Valley in the JC Tourney, which would have been bonkers, but NM JC lost early on.
It should be noted those national power JCs like the one Deuce was at or the one that the former Aggies coach coaches can send their whole roster to D1/D2 level after a successful season. Even one of Heiar’s recruits ended up in El Paso at UTEP this year.
If you aren’t a hardcore recruiting junkie or understand how people end up where, you might think (correctly) that the process can be kind of bizarre at times. But Benjamin decided on a home hundreds of miles from NM, and despite my personal feelings on the whole thing, I wish him good luck, and hope he succeeds at the D2 level in year 3.
I learned 17 years ago, moving here… sometimes you just need a fresh start, meet new people, see new things.
FWIW, Minot State’s old logos are amazing. I wish to have a shirt with two or three different throwback logos.
They don’t make them like they used to…
Remember who broke this story :)
More Pascal Siakam, Because the Algorithm Gets Me More Eyeballs - Understanding the Bets +
MY NBA Finals Pick
You know you like my graphic :)
It’s important to celebrate former Aggies, because they are the examples we use for future Aggies. Not just in sports, but in other fields. I think younger people have a harder time locating success stories when they head to school. I know a lot of you out there don’t believe that, but it is true. Some young folks don’t appreciate history.
So always take the time to embrace success anywhere you find it.
This week, it’s all about hoops, where Pascal Siakam, ECF MVP, will get a chance at Ring #2 against the OKC Thunder starting Thursday Night.
To say Indiana was not expected to be here is a massive understatement. According to some sports books, Indiana was 28-1 just to make the Finals, which is crazy, but expected since Cleveland and Boston, with almost 130 wins between them this season, were expected to duke it out for the championship.
But after last season’s unexpected run to the ECF, the Pacers got that taste, and boy did they come to play in the playoffs making it all the way here after a season that was up and down in some stretches.
Pascal Siakam represents one of the few players on either team to have been in this territory.
I want NM State to have a 2-time NBA Champion that I saw play in person in Pascal Siakam…that’s where my heart lies.
My head.. Well…
On Fanduel, OKC is a -750 favorite, one of the biggest favorites in modern NBA history. To put it into perspective, novice gamblers, if you bet $100 on the Thunder to win, you will win $13.
Pacers are a +530 favorite, which is $630 on a $100 bet, so if you believe in Siakam that much, you can make a good profit on the finals.
Finals MVP, won by Kawhi Leonard last time Pascal was in the Finals
Pascal is a 20/1 longshot. Now, I will be blunt. Siakam did not deserve ECF MVP. It was a 5-4 Vote, and I really think that interaction with Gregg Doyel had a couple of reporters swing it his way. Halliburton and Siakam were equally as important, but in the grand scheme of things, Tyrese Halliburton is the #1 threat on that team, and NBA always defers to the #1. So that was shocking.
That said, if the Pacers can somehow pull this out, it will be because Pascal leveled up his play again, and he could steal the MVP from everyone, and pay you $100 on a $5 bet, or $2000 on a $100 bet.
Pascal as leading scorer in the finals, kind of unlikely at 36/1, but he is the highest Pacers player.
Needless to say there is value in the underdogs here. Pacers are not expected to win this Finals matchup according to everyone… including me.
My Pick: Look, I love Siakam, and I hope I am wrong as wrong can be, but OKC is one of the best regular season teams of all-time, and probably more importantly here, the best quiet team in NBA history. 68-14 in the regular season, a regular season that saw one of their best players, Chet Holmgren, out for an extended period.
The two times they played this year:
Pascal was not the leading scorer. SGA, the league MVP had two amazing performances.
I think the most underrated stat is OKC’s dominance of the Eastern Conference
29-1 this season
You don’t get to be 29-1 without being really good. Only 6 teams in the history of the league have won as many or more games in one season as OKC did.
These are historical numbers.
How does Indiana win? I think they silence Jaylin Williams and Chet Holmgren from scoring. Pascal will likely be asked to guard everyone. As we all know, Siakam plays a lot of minutes. If he wears down, that might not be good for the Pacers who need his scoring to compliment Halliburton’s scoring. Although Indiana does like to go deep in their bench, I expect that to tighten up to 7-8 players in this round, and if 1 or 2 are ineffective, then OKC has a lot of chances to win.
For the Pacers to have a shot to win the title, they need to steal one of these first two games on the road, and just make OKC think a little bit about the possibility of being like the 2015-16 Warriors that won 73 games but not the title.
Pascal is 31 years old. He is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, more than likely. He has a teammate who like Kawhi, can be the head honcho and Siakam can do his work under the radar. Sometimes a “quiet” 25 points 9 rebounds and 5 assists may not wow people, but it can win you games.
Indiana needs Pascal more than they need anyone else to help them over the top.
But in my estimation, and again, I hope I am wrong, I think the Thunder are one of those teams who are as advertised, and because we didn’t see them a lot on TV (Indiana either) we think we know them when we really don’t.
I see this being the SGA show, he and the Thunder need 6 games to beat the Pacers, but 3 of their 4 wins will be hard fought battles where the Thunder just had one or two more bullets.
Again. I hope I am wrong.
I will have more Siakam content as the Finals gets going.
For now, I will have to leave it at that. Thank you for everything.
I hope you enjoyed this, and please tell a friend. AGGREGATOR needs more eyeballs on it, as it is the preeminent NM State column out there.
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See you soon!
James Baca