But Kalin Bennett, the team’s six-foot-eleven-inch center, is quiet. While it’s still unclear what causes ASD—genetic factors may play significant roles—Gross says that girls, women, and people of color are “underdiagnosed.” ASD is no more common in white children than in their Black and Hispanic peers, yet Black and Hispanic children are often diagnosed later, due in part to a lack of access to ASD experts. School Link Year Prep; "For my mom to see it was really big for me,", Bennett is not the first student-athlete with autism to receive a scholarship; Anthony Ianni received a scholarship from Michigan State University in 2011. Sonja found a pediatrician who recommended therapy programs, and she developed other strategies herself, until her son could talk, which he did at age seven. Athletic tape tears. The increase may be due to more doctors learning the criteria, says Zoe Gross, director of operations at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. © 2020 ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. He’s scrutinizing the game plan. "For my mom to see it was really big for me," Bennett told the Associated Press after the game. I might have autism, but I love that part of me.”, 7 Fall Essentials You’ll Be Wearing All Season, Method Man Shares His Insomnia-Beating Workout, Skincare Products for Dark Skin Are on the Rise, How 10,000 Kettlebell Swings Transformed My Body, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Since then, Bennett has established the SpeKTrum50 Foundation (50 being his Kent State number, and his favorite number since third grade) to advocate for a greater understanding of autism. “I saw LeBron James going for a dunk, and I said, ‘I can do that; I wanna do that,’ ” he says. “He wasn’t focusing on me and didn’t want me to hug him,” she says. Author: Message. "To let her know that everything you've done has not been in vain.". Polish Hammer Heisman. 6-10, 290 | Class of 2019. Posts: 7,034 Joined: Sep 2004 Reputation: 31 I Root For: Kent State/JMU Location: Post: #1. Kent State center Kalin Bennett provided one of the first highlights of the college basketball season on Wednesday night. He chose to include his autism in the narrative. And it’s the same prep that’s furthering the understanding of autism not as a disability but just another way that brains can work. Sonja Bennett was nervous at the idea but allowed him to play after her husband and a doctor suggested it could be good for him. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. He’s flitting through where every player might be on the court at any point throughout the game. Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that can cause social, communication and behavioral challenges. Kent State won the home game against Hiram, also of northern Ohio, at the MAC Center, 97-58. When doctors diagnosed Bennett, Sonja says, people told her that he needed to be “institutionalized” and that she “needed to understand he will never do this, never do that.”. (Cary Clayton Media) This article is more than 1 year old. He made history last fall as the first person with autism to sign a letter of intent with a Division I school. He also had a knack and a love for math, and his coach at the time figured out how to communicate plays to him with numbers—a method Bennett uses to process the game today. He’s scrutinizing the game plan. Teammates shout and whoop. “I want to help kids who are different to not feel different,” he says. Dean from Survivor Used to Play College Basketball. Kalin Bennett and his teammates celebrated the win by ringing the victory bell. Sonja Bennett told WBUR that doctors diagnosed Kalin with autism when he was nine months old. “Me, as a 20-year-old, I’ve matured a lot,” Bennett adds. Bennett, who plays center for the Flashes, is listed at 6 feet, 11 inches tall and 300 pounds. There’s a saying in the Bennett household: “Can’t is not an option,” says Sonja. Updated 0043 GMT (0843 HKT) November 8, 2019. He’s set up ktech50.com, assembled a board of directors, and led a meet and greet with three school-aged autistic basketball players in his home state of Arkansas. “I love who I am. BEFORE GAME TIME, he Kent State men’s basketball locker room is usually charged. It’s the same prep that helped him nail a clutch left-handed hook shot in his debut game for Kent State in 2019. The 6'11", 300-pound freshman from Little Rock went 1-for-3 with two rebounds and a block. “They never stopped supporting me.”. When he was a baby, Sonja Bennett noticed her son was developing more slowly than his older sister had and voiced her concern to doctors. Bennett entered the game with six minutes left to play, and he finished with 2 points, two rebounds and one block. Kalin Bennett, Division I basketball recruit diagnosed with autism, plays for Kent State in opener By Allen Kim , CNN Updated 7:43 PM ET, Thu November 7, 2019 Kalin Bennett used his love for math to help him learn the playbook on his AAU team, and he continued to excel at basketball in middle school and high school. After the game, Bennett's teammates cheered him over to the school's victory bell for him to ring. Traveling today and was reading my latest issue of Men’s Health when I came across an article on Kalin. His mother, Sonja, realized that her son was different when he was one. “[My family] gave me a chance,” he says. We may earn a commission through links on our site. Bennett, who has autism, made his debut in Kent State's 97–58 win over Hiram. Kalin Bennett. “He just wanted to sit in the corner and rock.”. He’s running game footage in his head. Kalin Bennett made his debut with the Kent State Flashes on Wednesday night. Sonja Bennett knew something was different about her son, Kalin, at an early age. This story is part of The 2020 Project, a Men's Health special project that explores the lives of 20 different 20-year-old men across America. Bennett's mother, Sonja, has been a huge part of his journey. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, 89 Celebrity Couples Halloween Costumes For 2020, Record-Breaking Python Captured in Florida, 99-Year-Old George Etzweiler Can't Stop Running, This One-of-a-Kind Bird Is Both Male and Female, The Best Gifts to Get Her This Holiday Season, 31 Awesome Last-Minute Christmas Gift Ideas, Watch Soledad O'Brien's 'Matter of Fact' Forums, Legendary Guitarist Eddie Van Halen Dead at 65. Men's Health participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. It’s the same preparation that helped Bennett push Little Rock Christian Academy to a winning 2018 season. Then one fall night in 2019 at Link Year, a gap-year Bible program between high school and college, Bennett shared his story with his teammates. Music blasts. ", according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All Rights Reserved. He scored his first collegiate points on a hook shot with less than three minutes left to play. (CNN)Kalin Bennett says he wants kids to believe in themselves "first and foremost" -- and he's hoping he can be an example. Bennett, on the other hand, is the first to sign a national letter of intent for a Division I basketball scholarship. He entered the game with six minutes remaining and made a left-handed hook shot in the post with 2:30 left in the game to become the first player with autism to score in a Division I game. Kent State center Kalin Bennett provided one of the first highlights of the college basketball season on Wednesday night. Kent State's head coach, Rob Senderoff, who recruited Bennett, told CNN he was drawn to Bennett's physicality and enthusiasm for playing basketball.
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