Episode #34 - Ben Woodside (March Madness series)

The series on March Madness continues as I am connecting with
people who left their mark during the NCAA tourney.  Our
guest for this episode didn’t have a game winning shot that
advanced his team to the sweet 16 – in fact his team didn’t win
game, but he certainly made an impression on many basketball fans
during the 2009 tournament.  Ben Woodside and his North
Dakota State Bison teammates made the Big Dance in their first
year of eligibility as they transitioned to full time Division 1
status.  

Ben and a handful of his teammates red-shirted their freshman
seasons at NDSU and wanted that extra year to have the chance to
play in the NCAA tournament in their senior season, as that would
be the first year the school was eligible to participate. 
Their patience and hard work paid off.  Ben had a great
career as he was Summit League Player of the Year his senior
season and sent his team into the NCAA tourney as he hit the game
winning shot in Summit League final against Oakland.

Ben and I discuss his path from Albert Lea, MN to NDSU, some
great Tim Miles stories, his 60-point game in college against
Stephen F. Austin and of course his performance from 2009 in that
NCAA tourney game at the Metrodome against Kansas where he went
toe-to-toe with KU and Sherron Collins.   Ben scored 37
points in that game against the defending national champions and
made quite an impression on college basketball fans and Kansas
head coach Bill Self.

Enjoy this conversation in the Bare's Den with Ben
Woodside.