Jason Benson, who led Penn State New Kensington to the state basketball championship in 2001, signed in November with the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the American Basketball Association. During his two-year career at the New Kensington campus, the 6-foot-3-inch guard led the Lions in scoring and rebounding each season, finishing with 1,153 points and 459 rebounds, averages of 21.7 and 8.7, respectively. In his freshman year, he carried New Kensington to the Commonwealth Campus Athletic Conference title and earned conference Player of the Year honors. The Shenley High School graduate transferred to Mansfield University, an NCAA Division II program, and averaged 18.4 points and 6.1 rebounds as a senior last season. In his second game with the Xplosion on Dec. 2, Benson scored a game-high 24 points to lead the team to a 114-112 victory over Toledo.