SPOKANE, Wash. – When Hoopfest commences, thousands of basketball players descend to Spokane from all walks of life, even some who have been through a whole lot of it.
Eric Bennett is 79 years old, turning 80 a week from today, and says he sees no reason to slow down now.
“I don’t have any excuse to quit,” Bennett said. “I mean, usually people quit basketball when they have a chronic injury like a knee, or an ankle, or a strain that always comes back. Fortunate enough that that hasn’t happened, so until I get an excuse to quit, I guess I’ll keep going.”
Bennett’s son, Collin, flew over 1,300 miles from Phoenix to Seattle, then drove to Spokane to watch and support his dad.
“It’s good to see we have longevity in the family, that’s for sure,” Collin Bennett said.
Collin, a former University of Hawai’i baseball player who helped win multiple WAC titles, continues the Bennett legacy of athletics, even if it feels like the other way around sometimes.
“It’s how he’s always been,” Collin said. “It’s what he taught me when I was a kid, and now the roles have somewhat reversed here, I’m watching him.”
“He came all the way from Phoenix to watch me and give me moral support, and I appreciate that,” Eric Bennett said. “He’s a great player himself, so I listen to him when he gives me advice.”
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