After redshirting his first year at Oakland, Benson became a starter for the 2007–08 season. Benson started 20 of the team's 29 games and averaged 5.2 points and 3.5 rebounds. He finished the season with 40 blocks—one shy of Oakland's single-season record. However, he was benched prior to the conference tournament because OU's head coach, Greg Kampe, felt Benson was not playing good enough defense. At the conclusion of his redshirt junior season, Benson received the Lou Henson Award, given to the "mid-major player of the year". Benson was also named the Summit League Player of the Year. Benson declared himself eligible for the 2010 NBA draft, but withdrew himself after he was unable to work out with NBA teams due to an injured right thumb. Benson earned a Bachelor of Integrative Studies degree with a minor in art history from Oakland in August 2010, prior to his redshirt senior season. During his senior season in 2010–11, Benson enrolled in master's-level architecture courses in Oakland. In basketball, he set the Summit League's record for career blocks. He broke the record of 317, set by Keith Closs of Central Connecticut State University from 1994–96. Benson was named the Summit League's Player of the Year for the second consecutive season in 2011.
Professional career
2011–12 season
After being projected as a late-second round pick, Benson was selected with the 48th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, becoming the first player from Oakland University selected in the NBA draft. After playing in Italy for Dinamo Basket Sassari during the NBA lockout, he joined the Hawks for preseason in December 2011. After being waived by the Hawks, he joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League in January 2012. On March 24, he signed a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors. He appeared in three games for the Warriors.
After initially signing with Turkish team Banvit, Benson spent the first half of the 2014–15 season in Lithuania with Neptūnas. In February 2015, he left Neptūnas and signed with Estonian team BC Kalev/Cramo.
2015–16 season
After spending preseason with the Miami Heat, Benson joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce for the 2015–16 season. In February 2016, he played in the NBA D-League All-Star Game. He helped the Skyforce finish with a league-best 40–10 record in 2015–16, and went on to help the team win the NBA D-League championship with a 2–1 Finals series win over the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
2016–17 season
After spending a second straight preseason with the Miami Heat, Benson once again played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce during the 2016–17 season.
Benson's mother Janice Ellen Hale is a professor of early childhood education at Wayne State University and founding director of the Institute for the Study of the African American Child at Wayne State.
