Corey Webster
July 23, 2020
Ben Woodside
- Nationality: USA/GEO
- Date of Birth: 1/07/85
- Place of Birth: Albert Lea, Minnesota (USA)
- Position: PG
- Height (CM): 180
- Weight (KG): 84
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: North Dakota State (2005–2009)
- NBL DEBUT: 7/10/16
- AGE AT DEBUT: 31
- LAST NBL GAME: 4/11/16
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 31
- NBL History: New Zealand 2017
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Ben Woodside was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Ben Woodside made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 31 years of age. He scored eight points in his first game.
Following the Breakers’ 2016 grand final loss, chief executive Richard Clarke and coach Dean Vickerman parted ways with the organisation, with Paul Henare stepping up from assistant to take the reins as head coach, while Dillon Boucher took control of the front office as general manager.
Joining Dean Vickerman in departure was Cedric Jackson and Tai Wesley, both of whom moved across the Tasman and joined Melbourne United. While retaining Thomas Abercrombie, Corey Webster, Alex Pledger and Mika Vukona, the Breakers acquired the services of club legend Kirk Penney. With two vacant import spots, the Breakers signed Ben Woodside and Akil Mitchell. A strong New Zealand contingent also stepped up from development player roles this season, with Finn Delany, Shea Ili and Jordan Ngatai all being elevated onto the full-time roster.
An injury filled pre-season saw Shea Ili (back), Penney (calf) and Webster (hip and back) suffer injuries that would see them miss multiple games during the first half of the season. Even when Webster did return mid-season, he was never fully recovered and his production dropped from 19.6 ppg to 11.7 ppg as he battled to shake off a prolonged hip injury. After 20 games New Zealand had a total of eight wins and the ‘injury bug’ only got worse. Abercrombie (11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Woodside (8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals) both spent time missed games due to injury and then in January, during a loss to Cairns (81-94), Mitchell (9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists) suffered a poke to the eye from Taipans centre Nnanna Egwu which caused his left eyeball to come out of its socket. He was rushed to hospital and although his vision was restored that night, he returned to the US to seek further specialist advice.
Webster made a valiant second return to the court before the end of the season, but under medical advisement, it was felt his injuries were too serious and he was shut down for the remainder of the season. New Zealand added import forward Paul Carter (9.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) and shortly replaced a underperforming Woodside with David Stockton, the son of NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton. Stockton (8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists) lasted only 10 games before he too succumbed to injury and was replaced by another import, Kevin Dillard.
The combo of Dillard (18.1 points, 4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals) and Penney (17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) helped salvage the remainder of the Breakers’ season. The duo propelled New Zealand to a four game winning streak and revived the Breakers playoff hopes, but after back-to-back losses in round 17, they dropped to fifth place (14–14) and their playoff hopes were shattered.
Ben Woodside played one season in the NBL. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 6 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 31 | New Zealand | 14-14 (5) | 6 | 176.1 | 53 | 21 | 35 | 3 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 43 | 44% | 5 | 17 | 29% | 10 | 13 | 77% | 54% | 50% | 14 | Totals | 6 | 176 | 53 | 21 | 35 | 3 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 43 | 44.2% | 5 | 17 | 29.4% | 10 | 13 | 76.9% | 54% | 50% | 14 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 31 | New Zealand | 14-14 (5) | 6 | 29.3 | 8.8 | 3.5 | 5.8 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 7.2 | 44% | 0.8 | 2.8 | 29% | 1.7 | 2.2 | 77% | 54% | 50% | 14 | Total | 6 | 29.3 | 8.8 | 3.5 | 5.8 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 7.2 | 44.2% | 0.1 | 29.4% | 0.8 | 2.8 | 76.9% | 54% | 50% | 14 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 14 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
After going undrafted in the 2009 NBA draft, Woodside joined the Minnesota Timberwolves summer league team.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- France - BCM Gravelines (2009–2011) | Slovenia - Union Olimpija (2011) | Georgia - BC Armia (2011–2012) | Turkey - TED Ankara Kolejliler (2012–2013, 2014), Türk Telekom (2015–2016) | Italy - Vanoli Cremona (2013–2014) | Spain - Baloncesto Sevilla (2014–2015)
Woodside joined BCM Gravelines for the 2009–10 LNB Pro A season, playing his first season in France after signing with the club on August 7, 2009.
As a rookie in France in 2009–10, Woodside played 35 league games for Gravelines and averaged 14.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, with the club’s other leading contributors that season including J.K. Edwards, Cyril Akpomedah, and Yannick Bokolo.
In December 2009, Woodside played in the French League All-Star game on December 30, 2009 at Paris-Bercy as part of the Foreign Stars roster, which included teammates and fellow imports such as John Linehan, Ricardo Greer, Dewarick Spencer, and Uche Nsonwu-Amadi.
Woodside re-signed with BCM Gravelines on August 2, 2010 and played the 2010–11 season in France, again appearing in 35 league games and averaging 13.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.
During the 2010–11 season, Woodside helped Gravelines win the Leaders Cup on February 13, 2011, when Yannick Bokolo was named MVP and Woodside posted 17 points and nine rebounds in the 79–71 win over Chalon.
Woodside moved to Slovenia in 2011 with Union Olimpija, and he appeared in seven games, averaging 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game before leaving the club on December 4, 2011 due to unpaid wages.
He finished the 2011–12 season in Georgia with BC Armia in the Georgian Superliga, where he was a Georgian League All-Star in 2012 and helped Armia win the league championship, including a 20-point performance in the 91–67 win over Olimpi in the fourth finals game, with teammate Jeremy Richardson adding 18 points and five rebounds while Will Thomas scored 15 points in the same title-clinching result.
Woodside signed with TED Ankara Kolejliler for the 2012–13 season in Turkey, and he led the Turkish Basketball League in total assists with 204 and averaged 7.0 assists per game across 29 games while playing alongside scorers Jovo Stanojević and Kirk Penney and frontcourt contributors Vanja Plisnić and Nedim Yücel.
In 2013–14, Woodside played in Italy with Vanoli Cremona, appearing in 24 games and totaling 226 points, 70 rebounds, and 77 assists, which worked out to 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
Woodside opened the 2014–15 season in Turkey with TED Ankara Kolejliler before moving to Spain in November 2014 to join Baloncesto Sevilla, and in the 2014–15 Liga Endesa regular season he played 26 games and produced 200 points, 54 rebounds, and 96 assists, while in EuroCup play with Sevilla he averaged 9.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.0 steal per game across eight games.
He returned to Turkey for the 2015–16 season with Türk Telekom, playing 29 league games and totaling 232 points, 71 rebounds, and 123 assists, which equated to 8.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
COLLEGE
Woodside played college basketball at North Dakota State from 2005 to 2009, becoming a four-year starter for the Bison and appearing in 118 games with 118 starts across his career.
As a freshman in 2005/06, Woodside started all 28 games and averaged 17.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 43.2% from the field, 40.9% from three-point range, and 79.6% at the free-throw line, earning Division I Independent Newcomer of the Year recognition and Division I All-Independent first team honours in a period when North Dakota State competed as a Division I independent program.
In 2006/07, he again started every game (28 starts) and posted 16.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game while improving his shooting efficiency to 47.7% from the field, 39.2% from three, and 82.2% at the line, repeating as a Division I All-Independent first team selection before the program transitioned into Summit League play for his final two seasons.
North Dakota State joined the Summit League for 2007/08, and Woodside’s production jumped as he started all 29 games and averaged 20.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 46.1% from the field, 39.7% from three, and 83.0% from the stripe, a season in which he was named first-team All-Summit League (2008).
From 2005 to 2009, Woodside was a member of the North Dakota State Bison men's basketball team, and as a senior in 2008/09 he produced one of the most prolific individual seasons in school history while being named Summit League Player of the Year and later receiving 2009 Associated Press All-America honorable mention, CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major All-American recognition, and 2009 NABC All-District first team honours.
On December 12, 2008, he had a 60-point performance against Stephen F. Austin, scoring 60 in a 112–111 triple-overtime loss while going 14-for-32 from the field and 30-for-35 at the free-throw line, with his 30 made free throws tying the NCAA single-game record and setting school and Summit League records, and that senior season ultimately finished with him averaging 23.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 33 games while shooting 46.4% from the field, 42.7% from three, and 84.0% from the line.
Ten days later, Woodside became North Dakota State's career scoring leader in a 90–68 win over Northern Arizona, and he finished his career as NDSU’s all-time leading scorer with 2,315 points while also recording a league-record 766 points during the 2008/09 season and averaging 22.02 points per game over his two Summit League seasons, which stood as the second-best two-year Summit League scoring average at the time of his graduation.
He went on to lead the Bison to win the Summit League Tournament and qualify for the 2009 NCAA Tournament in their first year of eligibility, and in the Summit League championship game he made the winning basket with four seconds left to clinch the title as he earned Summit League Tournament MVP honours, then scored 37 points against Kansas in the 2009 NCAA Tournament while North Dakota State made its first NCAA Division I tournament appearance as an eligible program.
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