Beni Fungula to play basketball at UC-Colorado Springs
McCook Community College's Beni Fungula, has become the first basketball recruit for The University of Colorado-Colorado Springs for the 2022-2023 season.
Fungula, is a 6-4 guard from Stockholm, Sweden who played one season at Williston State in North Dakota, as point guard before transferring to MCC, where he played multiple positions.
"We are excited to welcome Beni to our program," said UCCS Coach Jeff Culver. "He is capable of playing and guarding multiple positions on the floor, has a wealth of experience and plays a very competitive brand of basketball."
Fungula joins a Mountain Lion program that registered the school's third 20-win season (21-9, 15-7 RMAC) after hosting their first RMAC Quarterfinal game in seven years and advancing to make an RMAC Semifinal appearance. UCCS is a NCAA Division II school.
"He's going to a good situation and a good school," MCC Coach Jacob Brandl said." Coach Culver is a very respected guy and was very honest about the entire recruiting process and we all felt good there."
The coach said Fungula has the chance to go and compete right away for a squad that brings a lot of guys back from a 20-win team.
"The only spot they lose is his," Brandl said. "So for him to go in there and have a chance to start right away and do something pretty special is always a good deal. We are proud of him."
"I went into my visit with them with no expectations, but it was a nice experience with the coaches and players. Everything just felt right," Fungula said.
He believes his versatility and his coach-ability can help him make an impact with his new school where he expects to play at the two and three spots.
At Williston State, he played in 15 games his freshman year, averaging 11.4 points per game, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game before transferring to MCC.
"I was a point guard at Williston State, and I feel like that is my natural position but this year, you just do what you can to get on the court and help the team," he said.
In his one season at MCC away from the point guard spot, he played in 30 games and averaged 10.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He shot 39 percent from the field and 72.4 percent from the line.
After shifting roles and coming off the bench, for the final eight games of the season, Fungula averaged 13.4 points and 5.0 rebounds.
"He was a guy that was starting for us throughout the year and then kind of had to come off the bench for us because we needed that spark and really embraced that opportunity and was great for us during the month of February," Brandl said.
He scored double-digit points in eight of 20 games he started, then scored in double figures in six of his final seven games off the bench, capped by a season-high 23 points Feb. 26 in the Region IX play-in game at North Platte. He followed that up scoring 19 points in the season-finale against Laramie County Community College along with a season high nine rebounds.
"He gave us great offensive lift, he gave us great defensive lift, and is the ultimate team player and did everything we asked him to do," Brandl said.
He said his games with North Platte were the highlight of the season.
"I had a mission to stop their best player and felt I did well and the team did very well with both the games up there," he said.
"The thing I like about Coach Brandl, is that he will always give you the 'real," Fungula said. "That's why I came here, he was always straight-up with me and that's the relationship we have."
He's also built-some life-long bonds with his teammates in his year at MCC, "Both good and bad memories but we made it through together."
Academically, he's interested in pursuing music production and while he wants to take his basketball career as far as it will go he'd like to work in the music industry. "I'm a big fan of music."
"He has the chance to come in and be that difference-maker for them – and he is a high-level talent," said MCC Coach Jacob Brandl. "We're looking forward to following him and I know he's going to do great things over there."