LUKE MORRIS
CofC Athletics Communications
As their college basketball careers come to a close, seniors Bart Benton, Matt Sundberg and Andrew Lawrence will be able to look back and reflect on their journey to this point in their lives for a lifetime.
The three teammates, and roommates, may have traveled different paths to the College of Charleston, but when their paths converged, they became the best of friends.
"These guys are my best friends," said Sundberg, who is a double major in pre-business administration and communication. "They are always here for me and that goes beyond the court. We always have each other's backs."
Sundberg arrived a year earlier than his roommates in the fall of 2008. He signed with CofC for the opportunity to play for legendary head coach Bobby Cremins, who he followed as a youngster growing up in Kennesaw, Ga., just outside of the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. He quickly became a key role player and joined Benton and Lawrence's class after redshirting the 2010-11 season.
Benton and Lawrence arrived on campus a year later in the fall of 2009. One day while working out at a local gym in his hometown of Monroe, Ga., Benton met a former assistant coach of Cremins' at Georgia Tech. After getting in contact with Cremins, he accepted a walk-on spot at CofC.
Lawrence took a different path to Charleston. Born in London, England, he did not play basketball until he was 15 years old. After deciding he wanted to play basketball instead of soccer, Lawrence spent a year at Heat Basketball Academy in 2008-09 in Martinsville, Va., before heading to CofC to play for the same man who also coached his father, Renaldo, at Appalachian State in the late 70s.
"It has gone really fast," said Lawrence, who is a public health major and became the first Olympian in CofC Basketball history as a member of the 2012 Great Britain National Team. "I was telling Matt the other day, 'it feels like yesterday I came in here as a freshman.' We've all been through a lot. I've made life-long friends in my teammates and I've really enjoyed my time here in Charleston."
When the three teammates met, they quickly became friends and eventually roommates for the last three years. They have had a plethora of success in their time together, including the Cougars' wins over North Carolina at home in 2010, Clemson on the road in 2011 and Tennessee in 2010 and 2011.
"It's been fun," said Benton, who is majoring in communication with a concentration in communication studies. "I've gone through a lot with these guys. We've had a lot of good times together on the court."
It's been fun for the trio off the court, too. Sundberg remembers a time when they all decided to see who could eat a dozen doughnuts each and drink a gallon of milk the fastest at the local Krispy Kreme.
Sundberg summed the experience up quickly, "None of us made it the whole way."
As the regular-season wraps up with two games remaining against Wofford and Furman, the seniors look to continue their playing careers winning games at the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, N.C. However, should the season end earlier, the three teammates know what they want to do after their college careers come to a close.
Last June, Benton completed the LSAT exam and has applied to law schools around the country with applications to Georgia and Georgia State and interest from Harvard and Columbia. His career aspiration is to become a business attorney and eventually a superior court judge - following in the footsteps of his father, Gene, who is also a judge.
Meanwhile, Sundberg is looking to go into sales somewhere in the U.S. and Lawrence is hoping to continue playing basketball at the professional level.
As they travel through the rest of their lives, the trio will always keep in touch and will remain friends for life. As Benton puts it, "We are going to be in each other's weddings. That's the kind of friendship we have."
