Tanner Benton brings extensive basketball experience to the UNCW staff in 2023-24 as assistant director of men’s basketball operations.
He will assist DOBO Hunter Henderson and Director of Video Operations Austin Parker with all facets of the program, including practice preparation, planning travel and lodging for away games, video needs and coordinating meals for the team.
Benton, 25, returns to Wilmington after serving as an assistant coach at Hargrave Military Academy in 2022-23. The Tigers racked up a 44-2 record, the second most wins in school history, and won the Elite Prep League regular season and tournament championship. The Tigers, featuring four All-Americans, reached the Sweet 16 of the national tournament and finished ranked as the top-ranked post-graduate team in the nation.
Benton began his work in basketball as a student manager at UNCW in 2016-17. The Seahawks won the Coastal Athletic Association regular season and tournament crowns en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Benton then moved on to Raleigh, where he was a student manager at NC State for four seasons. The Wolfpack made one NCAA Tournament appearance and earned a pair of NIT berths.
In 2021-22, Benton returned to the coast to serve as a graduate assistant for the Seahawks. UNCW won another CAA regular season title and captured the 2022 Roman College Basketball Invitational championship in Daytona Beach.
Benton grew up in nearby Burgaw, N.C., and attended Heide Trask High School. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from NC State in 2021.
