Rod Benson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Position | Forward/Center |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Born | October 10, 1984 Fairfield, California |
| Nationality | USA |
| High school | Torrey Pines |
| College | California |
| Draft | Undrafted, 2006 |
| Pro career | 2006–present |
| Former teams | Austin Toros 2006–2007, Dakota Wizards 2006-2008 |
| Awards | NBA Development League Player of the Week winner 2007 D-League Allstar |
Rodrique Zsorryon Benson (born October 10, 1984 in Fairfield, California) is an American basketball player. He currently plays for the Dakota Wizards in the NBA Development League, and is a notable blog writer.
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] High school
Benson attended Torrey Pines High School, and averaged 14 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.8 blocks while leading the basketball team to a 25-4 record in his senior year. He was named first team all-league and second team All-CIF San Diego Section. He was rated the No. 3 center on the West Coast by TheInsiders.com. He also played three years of varsity volleyball, earning first team league honors in 2002.[1]
[edit] College career
Benson graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and majored in political science. After a huge improvement in his basketball from his sophomore to his junior year, Benson's senior year was marred by heel and knee injuries, which forced him to miss 11 games, impacting his future career heavily.
[edit] Professional career
In the summer of 2006, Benson played for the Sacramento Kings Summer League team. He was noticed by many NBA scouts, but was never offered a contract by any team.
When Benson left California, he started the 2006-2007 NBDL year with the Austin Toros. He had a game high of eight points on November 25, but averaged 2.4 points per game and was released by the team on January 3, 2007.
He was subsequently signed by the Dakota Wizards on January 9, 2007. In one of his first contests with the Wizards, he scored 17 points in 17 minutes. He ended the year with an average of 10.8 PPG. On March 17, 2007, he scored a personal high 27 points in a 126-100 win over the Arkansas Rimrockers. After training with the NBA's New Jersey Nets during the summer of 2007, Benson was re-signed by the Wizards for the 2007-2008 season and recorded averages of 13.6 points and a league best 12.1 rebounds per game.[2]
[edit] Media coverage and blog
Benson writes a personal blog titled Too Much Rod Benson, as well as contributing to the Ball Don't Lie blog on Yahoo! Sports.
He wrote an autobiographical feature article that was published in SLAM Magazine in April 2008.[3] He has also been featured in ESPN The Magazine,[4] and was profiled on the ESPN television series E:60 by Bill Simmons in April 2008.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Cal Bears (2008). Rod Benson. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
- ^ Babiarz, Lou. "WIZARDS: Plenty of local flavor on All-D-League team", The Bismarck Tribune, April 7, 2008.
- ^ Whitaker, Lang. "Links: Rod Benson is McLovin", Slam Online, April 21, 2008.
- ^ Westerberg, Scott. "Life With Rod", KFYR-TV Sports, April 8, 2008.
- ^ ESPN (2008). E:60 - The Sports Guy Visits Rod Benson. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
[edit] External links
- NBDL player profile
- Too Much Rod Benson - personal blog
- Ball Don't Lie - articles by Benson
- University of California Athletics profile
- ESPN college profile
