Canada's Bennedict Mathurin had long, interesting road to NCAA stardom

Bennedict Mathurin has led the way for a resurgent University of Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team that is ready to hit the dance floor at the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

The 19-year-old sophomore guard from Montreal has had one of the finest campaigns in U.S. collegiate basketball this season, averaging 17.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 37.6 per cent from three-point range. He was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, the Pac-12 Tournament's most outstanding player and was selected to a second-team All-American by The Associated Press.

Along with all the individual accolades, Mathurin has helped Arizona rise to the top again with the Wildcats winning both the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles, and earning a No. 1 seed in the South Region at the NCAA Tournament.

From his smooth jumper to his explosive athleticism, Mathurin has proven to have all the tools to dominate the college game, and has NBA talent evaluators drooling over his potential at the next level with just about every major mock draft projecting him as a top-10 pick.

But for all the success Mathurin has enjoyed this season, it hasn't been an easy road for the 19-year-old.

At a young age, Mathurin dealt with the ultimate adversity. When he was 12 years old, Mathurin had to come to grips with the loss of his older brother, Dominque, who died in a bicycle accident at the age of 15.

Bennedict and his older sister Jennifer turned to sports to help them cope.

Jennifer went on to play four seasons with the powerful North Carolina State women's program and is currently an associate coach with the Bishop's University women's basketball team.

"She was my idol before and she still is today," Bennedict said in a recent video conference call. "She