Rod Benson
From Hoopedia
Rodrique Zsorryon Benson was born on October 10, 1984 in Fairfield, California. In high school he pursued a love of basketball and volleyball. Rod went to UC Berkeley playing basketball. After four seasons in California, he played pro in the NBA Development League with the Toros for his 2006-2007 season. Rod then went to Bismarck, North Dakota to play for the Dakota Wizards, to finish the season. Among his top achievements was being nominated for the D-League player of the week award.
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High school
Benson averaged 14 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.8 blocks while leading Torrey Pines HS to a 25-4 record and the CIF sectional quarterfinals his senior year ... had single-game highs of 22 points, 18 rebounds and 11 blocks ... named first team all-league and second team All-CIF San Diego Section ... rated the No. 3 center on the West Coast by TheInsiders.com ... played three years of varsity volleyball, earning first team league honors in 2002 ... at Torrey Pines, was a member of the Human Relations Council ... also a Governor's Scholar, a GSE Scholar and listed in Who's Who in American High Schools.<ref>from Cal's athletics page: http://calbears.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/benson_rod00.html</ref>
College career
Benson played four seasons for UC Berkeley, majoring in political science. After a huge improvement 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.
NBA/NBA Development League
In the sumer of 2006, Benson played for the Sacramento Kings Summer League team.
Toros
When Benson left California, he started the 2006-2007 NBA-DL year with the Austin Toros. He had a game high of eight points on November 25, but often scored zero points in most contests. With the Toros, he averaged 2.4 PPG, and he was released by the team on January 3.
Dakota Wizards
Benson was subsequently signed by the Dakota Wizards on January 9. In one of his first contests with the Wizards, on January 12, he scored 17 points in 17 minutes in addition to recording one block, one assist, and two defensive rebounds. He ended the year with an average of 10.8 PPG.
With the Wizards on March 14, Rod Benson scored a personal high 27 points in a 126-100 win over the Rimrockers. His performance earned him a nomination for NBADL player of the week. Benson led the team in points per game while being second to the last in minutes played at 23.
After training with the NBA's New Jersey Nets during the summer of 2007, Benson was re-signed by the Dakota Wizards for the 2007-2008 season.
Other
Benson is perhaps best known for his blog, www.toomuchrodbenson.com, which is also published on Yahoo! Sports, and DraftExpress.com. Benson is the first player from the NBDL to engage in blogging on either site.
Benson is also well-known for his "Boom Got Them, Tho" music video, which has gained some notice on YouTube. While growing in popularity, Benson has been promoting through T-shirts and word of mouth. One day, Benson hopes to incorporate a women's swimwear line that merely says "You're in there like..."
He also just recently recorded a "Boom Got Them Dos" music video with his good friend J-Gant. With guest appearances from Miami Heat player Luke Jackson and Ayinde Ubaka, this YouTube featured video has drawn acclaimed ratings from all viewers.
In a game against the Sioux Falls on Sunday December 9, 2007 he recorded 28 points and a D-League record 28 rebounds.

