Junior guard Benny Gealer was considered an afterthought by many Cardinal fans when he committed to the Stanford men’s basketball team in October 2021. The six-foot-one guard joined the team as a preferred walk-on during high school, but later earned a scholarship at the end of his freshman season.
Now, after appearing in 32 games in his sophomore year — averaging 4.2 points and 2.3 assists — Gealer is expected to take on a larger share of point guard duties in his third year on the Farm.
After a summer dedicated to improving his playing style, Gealer is ready to make an impact and guide new teammates towards a turnaround. Stanford has experienced two consecutive seasons without a winning record and hopes to change that this year. Gealer described his summer experience positively, saying that he improved his shooting as well as his on-ball and house-side defense.
Gealer told The Daily he dedicated the summer to improving his shooting, on-ball skills and help-side defender.
“Also the little intangibles [such as] being able to take charges and getting more steals,” Gealer said.
“I think I’ll have a bigger role for sure,” he said. “[I think] I’m going to have more minutes, but whatever comes, I trust the coaches.”
Stanford head coach Kyle Smith told The Daily in April that Gealer reminded him of former University of San Francisco (USF) point guard Frankie Ferrari, who Smith coached while at USF. In college, Ferrari was one of the best point guards in the West Coast Conference (WCC), someone who could shoot off the dribble while also excelling as a prolific passer.
As a returning player, Gealer recommitted to the Stanford team despite the challenging seasons the Cardinal have recently experienced. His choice was driven by his love of the Stanford basketball community, and also because he was impressed by incoming head coach Kyle Smith. Smith successfully guided his previous team, Washington State, to snapping their 16-year March Madness drought.
“He’s an unbelievable coach,” Gealer said. “Every school he’s been at, the trajectory of their team is winning. I was extremely excited when he came in.”
Beyond personal improvement, Gealer expressed enthusiasm for the nine new players joining the Stanford program. With a new coach and nearly two lineups worth of new players, it certainly seems like Stanford’s men’s basketball faces an uncharacteristic upheaval in its roster. Gealer said he is excited to have the opportunity to teach the newcomers about Stanford.
“We have a talented group of guys that are really good at basketball,” Gealer said. “Seeing what they can do is just awesome every day.”
With a combination of experienced veterans like Gealer and new talent on the field and in the staff, Stanford basketball has high hopes for their first game against Denver on Nov. 4 and for the season as a whole.
“When I get out there I just do my best to impact winning, whatever it takes,” Gealer said.