NCAA grants immediate eligibility to Robyn Benton

The NCAA has granted immediate eligibility to Kentucky women’s basketball guard Robyn Benton, the school announced Tuesday.

Benton, who was an All-SEC Freshman Team selection with the Auburn Tigers before averaging double-digit points as a sophomore, transferred to Kentucky in April.

“We are so excited for Robyn,” said Kentucky interim head coach Kyra Elzy in a press release. “From the first day she stepped on campus, she has worked hard to improve her game. What I have been most impressed with is Robyn and Jazmine have both elevated the intensity and competitiveness of our practices. Robyn is an explosive guard who can not only score but is an elite defender. She is in great shape and playing at an extremely high level. I can’t wait for Big Blue Nation to see her and the rest of the team play next week.”

Benton transferred to Kentucky after playing 52 career games at Auburn the last two seasons. As a rookie in 2018-19, she played in 32 games and averaged 5.8 points per game, while going 35/94 from three-point range and 24/34 from the free-throw line with 34 steals.

That season, Benton hit a game-winning shot and free throw with 8.6 seconds left in a victory over Vanderbilt, earning her SEC Freshman of the Week honors. In her collegiate debut, she scored 16 points and hit three triples vs. Grambling State.

Last season, Benton upped her averages despite missing the first nine games of the season due to injury. She played in 20 games with 14 starts, averaging 10.1 points per game with 27 threes, 56 steals and 28 assists. Her best game came vs. Missouri where she posted a career-high 23 points. She also scored 15 points at South Carolina and 17 against Ole Miss.

In all, Benton scored 10+ points in 11 games and hit at least one triples in 16/20 games played.

Coming out of Greater Atlanta Christian High School, Benton was a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 17 overall player nationally by ESPN, who also tabbed her the No. 6 guard in the class. She was the Georgia High School Association Class AAA Player of the Year and an Atlanta Journal-Constitution First-Team All-State performer as a junior, averaging 17 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Benton also led her AAU team to Nike National Girls Championship in 2016 and Nike National Girls EYBL Platinum Championship in 2017.

No. 11 Kentucky is schedule to begin the 2020-21 season on Wednesday, Nov. 25 vs. Murray State. The Wildcats and Racers will tip at 1 p.m. ET inside Memorial Coliseum.

A Sea of Blue comes loaded with Kentucky Wildcats links, news, analysis, and some other fun stuff, so ‘like’ our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.