University of West Florida

Brian Benator begins his eighth season on the bench with the Argos for the 2022-23 season. Benator will continue to coordinate the Argos recruiting efforts, assist with scouting and game preparation, academic monitoring, and working with the Argos post players where he has helped forwards Deangelo Legrier (2014-17) and Darryl Tucker (2016-18) earn GSC All-Conference Honors as seniors. Additionally, both Legrier, Tucker, forward Henri Ventoniemi (2016-19), and forward Jarrett Henderson (2017-19) went on to play professional basketball overseas.

In July of 2021, Benator earned the 2021 Anthony Stewart Memorial Coach of the Year Award from the embRACEus organization. embRACEus is an organization that is aimed to transform, empower, and promote coaches and administrators in professional, college, and high school athletics. In June of 2019, Benator was selected as 1 of 11 participants in the Jay Bilas Skills Academy: Coaches Leadership Program. The program is designed to prepare NCAA Division I college assistant coaches for an opportunity to become a head college basketball coach in the future. Benator was one of two NCAA Division II assistant coaches selected in the inaugural program.

Benator was part of a record-breaking season during the 2017-18 season with the Argos where they compiled a 28-4 record and 17-3 conference record. The 28 wins were the most in school history and the 17 conference wins were also a school record. In addition, the Argos captured the Gulf South Conference Tournament Championship---the first in school history, along with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament---another first in school history.

Prior to West Florida, Benator served as an assistant coach for two years at Young Harris College where he helped lead the Mountain Lions to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals during the 2014-15 season. He also helped lead Young Harris to a 17-9 record and a second-place finish in the Peach Belt Conference West Division in 2013-14. At Young Harris, Benator coordinated all recruiting efforts and served as an on-floor coach during team practices and individual skill instruction workouts. Benator worked primarily with the perimeter players and helped mentor All-Conference Peach Belt guards C.J. Wilson and Isaiah Johnson. Johnson also took home the 2015 Peach Belt Defensive Player of the Year award. Johnson, Wilson, and guard Herdie Lawrence went on to play professional basketball overseas.
 
Prior to Young Harris, Benator was the Associate Head Post-Graduate Basketball Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Va. Benator assisted in all aspects of the program, including on-floor instruction, recruiting, scouting, and the day-to-day operations of the program. The Caissons went 25-7 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the National Prep School Tournament. All 16 members of the post-graduate team earned 4-year college scholarships, including 12 NCAA Division 1 schools. One of Benator’s players, Daniel Dixon went on to have a stellar career at William & Mary and played in the NBA G-League with the Windy City Bulls, as well as a stint with the Boston Celtics for their summer league team.
 
Benator also served as the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga from 2009-12, where in 2011, they claimed the Southern Conference North Division regular season championship. With the Mocs, Benator’s duties included team travel, academic monitoring, assisting with on-campus recruiting and scouting, coordinating the film exchange program, and assisting in various day-to-day duties within the basketball office.
 
Prior to Chattanooga, Benator spent the 2008-09 season at the University of North Georgia as a Graduate Assistant Coach. At North Georgia, Benator's responsibilities included assisting with the day-to-day basketball operations, on-floor coaching, the recruitment of perspective student-athletes, conducting off-season player workouts and conditioning, working with the film exchange program, academic monitoring of student-athletes and helping coordinate North Georgia Men's Basketball Summer Camps. In his lone season in Dahlonega, they reached the Peach Belt Conference Quarterfinals.
 
Benator’s career got started as an undergraduate student manager at The University of Georgia for the 2007-08 season in which the Bulldogs went on their incredible run to win four games in three days to capture the 2008 SEC Tournament Championship and secure an NCAA Tournament berth.
 
Benator graduated from The University of Georgia in 2008 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management. He completed his Master's in Business Administration at Tennessee-Chattanooga in August 2011. Benator played his high school ball at Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia under head coach Joe Goydish.
 
Benator and his wife Melissa live in Pensacola, Florida with their son Jacob and daughter Emma Rose.