By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Naomi Benson had narrowed it down to three: Illinois, Michigan and Virginia Tech.

Streetsboro’s Naomi Benson points into the crowd shortly after announcing her commitment to the University of Illinois for basketball.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

All that was left was for the Streetsboro senior girls basketball standout to make her official announcement.

That reveal was made on Friday at Streetsboro High School in a special event set up in the school’s auditorium with all of Benson’s family, teammates and closest friends all in attendance.

After an emotional video tribute to Benson, the 6-foot-3, four-star recruit, announced the University of Illinois as her choice for college basketball.

The decision comes after four years of scholarship offers from high-profile Division-I programs all across the country, including offers from West Virginia and Xavier before she played her first high-school game as a freshman.

“Naomi Benson is another great addition to our family,” Illinois women’s basketball head coach Shauna Green said. “She’s someone that brings so many different things that I love and that we’ve been searching for in our system.

“Naomi rebounds, she runs the floor at an elite level and brings versatility,” Green added. “It’s similar with a lot of these players we’re signing. They can play multiple positions and guard multiple positions. Naomi can score inside, she can score from outside, she can put the ball on the floor, and I love her ability to rebound. She brings that athleticism, has great bounce to her and is someone that I’ve been watching since my days back in Dayton with her being an Ohio kid.

“She going to add a lot of different things that we have not had, and I’m super excited about her and her future here at Illinois.”

Benson enters her senior season with 1,173 career points and 976 career rebounds.

Streetsboro girls basketball standout Naomi Benson (left) shares a moment with her mother during Friday’s event in the Streetsboro High School auditorium.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

She helped guide the Rockets to the Metro Athletic Conference championship last season, along with a district title and appearance in the regional finals.

Before narrowing her list to her top three, Benson’s top 10 also included DePaul, Alabama, California, Mississippi State, Wake Forest, Memphis and Penn State — in addition to the three she narrowed to.

On Friday, the announcement event also included small speeches from Rockets girls basketball head coach Carl Singer, along with words from seniors Raegan Hendon and Sydney Abbuhl.