Eddie Benton, the coach for the girls basketball team at Oakland Catholic, is leaving his position after leading the team to back-to-back section titles. He will be working at Robert Morris.
Benton, who achieved a 52-8 record in two seasons at Oakland Catholic, will now be an assistant for the Colonials women's basketball team under the recently appointed head coach Chander McCabe. His prior experience includes coaching at the college level before leading the WPIAL program.
Benton expressed excitement about joining Coach McCabe and contributing to the redevelopment of the Robert Morris women’s basketball program. He emphasized his dedication to bringing exceptional talent and a winning mindset back to the Moon Township community, where he is from.
McCabe was hired by Robert Morris in March.
During Benton’s tenure, Oakland Catholic had successful postseason performances. In the 2022-23 season, they were the WPIAL 5A runners-up and achieved a 26-5 record, reaching the state semifinals. This past season, they finished 26-3, advancing to the WPIAL semifinals and state quarterfinals.
Before his role at Oakland Catholic, Benton spent eight years as the head coach of the LaRoche women’s basketball team from 2004-2012. He guided the Lady Redhawks to the NCAA Division III tournament twice and was recognized as AMCC coach of the year in 2011 and 2012.
Benton also served as an assistant coach for women’s teams at Duquesne, St. Francis (Pa.), Brown, Cincinnati and Mississippi State. Additionally, he previously worked as an assistant coach at Robert Morris for three seasons in the men’s basketball team under coach Mark Schmidt.
McCabe expressed her enthusiasm for adding Eddie to the staff, highlighting his extensive coaching experience at all levels of Division I, strong ties to Western Pennsylvania, and his prioritization of the student-athletes' well-being. She is thrilled to welcome Eddie and his family to the program.
Benton, a 1992 Perry graduate, led his City League team to a PIAA basketball title during his junior season. He later became the all-time leading scorer at Vermont, and was inducted into the university’s hall of fame in 2006.
Following college, Benton played professionally with Grand Rapids in the CBA, and later pursued his career overseas in Israel, Holland, and Venezuela.
Benton and his wife Daynia La-Force, who married in 2019, own a training and consulting company called BentForce Basketball. La-Force has held coaching positions at New Haven, Northeastern, and Rhode Island, and has worked as an assistant for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
