Watching Monnette Bennett play basketball, one might think Statesboro’s senior has every right to strut around as the Queen of the Campus.
    Having already committed to playing next season at Georgia Tech, Bennett dominates her competition night in and night out with crowd-ahhing, no-look passes, impossible jumpers and jaw-dropping athleticism.

    Then, after taking the opposition and making them look foolish, that same opposition rushes to have their picture taken during postgame with the young woman who is destined to become great.
    During one pummeling of region opponent Lakeside, the suburban Augusta’s boys’ team sat in the bleachers and watched Bennett put on her nightly show. As one player remarked after a Bennett long-range jumper, “If they had a video game for girls’ basketball — she’d be on it.”
    So it would be no surprise if Bennett roamed the halls of SHS as an untouchable and sat in the back of the classroom as her prep career dissolved, ready to leave the bowels of South Georgia for superstardom and the big city. Right?
    “That’s not Monnette,” said Enola G. Mosley, who taught Bennett junior and senior English. “She thrives on challenges. Just like she does on the basketball court, she brings that same teamwork, she brings that same energy, that same tenacity, she brings that same thing back to our classroom. Idol — that’s not Monnette.”
    Just the contrary to what the modern day athlete so often becomes, Bennett is the antithesis of the unapproachable prima donna.
    After each of the Lady Blue Devils’ 11 home wins this season, the routine for Bennett is the same. After emerging from the locker room, Bennett must run the gauntlet of friends, family, opposing players and coaches, teachers — all who just want to say, ‘Hi’ or ‘Good game’ — and of course receive the obligatory hug. The one mandatory stop is to see Grandma, who sits right behind the SHS bench every night.
    It’s just one of the facets of Bennett’s character that has made her the fan favorite.
    “Monnette’s a crazy girl,” said classmate Warren Johnson, who’s known Bennett since elementary school. “Ever since elementary school she’s always been in the books but she’s always been on the court, too. Droppin’ points — droppin’ grades.”
    Said senior classmate Robert Byrd: “She’s totally awesome. She’s real cool people, real easy to get along with. She’s got good character and a good attitude.”
    Bennett’s efforts to befriend almost everyone she’s comes in contact with parallels her work at school.
    “She’s a breath of fresh air — to have someone that talented athletically, but also talented in the classroom,” said Gary Sanders after having Bennett for Civics and also Economics. “She has the respect of all her peers — she gets along with everyone. I never saw her get cross or angry with anyone in the classroom.”
    A few credit hours short during summer registration, Bennett made the choice to join the work study program over a few slacker electives. Byrd is one of the many hordes of students who stop by the school nurse — not for aches and pains — but just to see Monnette, the nurse’s aid.
    “She’s very socially oriented,” said Glenn Bailey, who helped coordinate and evaluate Bennett’s work study effort. “At any given time she’ll have four or five (students) outside the door wanting to talk to her.”
    Bennett assists nurse Cecilia Oliver in setting up appointments and prepping patients, acting as an intern. Never in her routine does she greet classmates with a pretentious attitude, nor does she forget her work and turn every day into visitation hour.
    “She’s does a good job in here considering she’s not interested in the medical field,” added Bailey. “Obviously she wants to play sports, and with that considered she does a great job. She has to cut down on the traffic in here with the social visits because she does have a job to do. From my point of view and (Oliver’s) point of view we couldn’t ask for a better employee.”
    Bennett will play her final regular season home game Saturday night against Evans. Whatever strides she makes in the future, however great she becomes on the court and in life, few will look back at Monnette Bennett as anything less than a friend.
    Around here she’s just like everyone else. Around here, she’s just ‘Mo’.
       
    Chad Bishop can be reached at (912) 489-9408.