When asked about “Big Ben,” most Pennsylvania residents begin ranting and raving about Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
But 25 miles southeast in West Newton, Pa., there’s a different collection of responses. That’s where West Newton’s “Big Ben,” N.C. State freshman forward Ben McCauley lives.
“There are just two stop lights in the whole town,” McCauley said. “West Newton is a really small area, but it’s a nice neighborhood to grow up in. I have a lot of great friends in West Newton and really love being there.”
McCauley’s father Jack saw his son’s potential early on.
“I knew he had a future in athletics at an early age,” Jack McCauley said. “I was his T-Ball coach when he was five and six years old, and he displayed some pretty impressive skills. He was always a big boy, and I figured he’d put two and two together and become a pretty good athlete.”
However, it wasn’t just basketball that interested McCauley. He played soccer, golf, basketball and baseball. But as a freshman at Yough High School, McCauley realized his future was in basketball.
McCauley averaged over 20 points per game in his sophomore and junior seasons, but it wasn’t until McCauley seasoned his game through AAU play that he garnered the attention of college coaches. He played on the Pittsburgh Jolts AAU team – the same team current assistant coach and Pittsburgh native Archie Miller once played for.
Along with State, McCauley received scholarship offers from Pittsburgh, Duquesne, St. Bonaventure, Western Kentucky and Eastern Michigan.
“I loved the coaching staff and competing in the ACC,” he said. “The day coach Miller told me to look at the pros and cons of all my options. I sat down with my parents that night and told them I couldn’t find any cons at N.C. State.”
McCauley committed the following day, which happened to be his birthday.
McCauley has seen action in 15 games this season, averaging 2.9 points-per-game and 1.3 rebounds. He scored a career high 13 points in 15 minutes against the Citadel this season.
“Ben’s progressing very well,” coach Sendek said. “He’s worked hard and continued to improve. I’m really excited about his prospects with our basketball team.”
But none of his previous games could compare to when McCauley made his ACC debut against Boston College.
“I’ll never forget the moment during the B.C. game when Coach looked at me,” McCauley said. “He said ‘Ben, let’s go,’ but I wasn’t nervous. I felt I had worked hard all fall and belonged there.”
Junior guard Bryan Nieman said he has enjoyed playing with McCauley.
“He’s a great teammate to have,” Nieman said. “But he works really hard and always puts others before himself. He’s also been working very hard in the weight room.”
McCauley agreed.
“Looking at Cedric and Andrew, I saw how much getting stronger improved their games,” he said. “You’ve got to be strong to compete in the ACC, so I try to get in the weight room each day before practice.”
While some freshmen struggle to learn Sendek’s complex offense, chalked full of screens and cuts, McCauley has received help from fifth-year senior Illian Evtimov.
“Illian has helped me out tremendously,” he said. “He’s a really smart guy, and he’s helped me get a feel for the offense. That’s the kind of teammate I want to be when I get older.”
