Rod Benson
Encyclopedia
Rodrique Zsorryon Benson (born October 10, 1984 in Fairfield, California
, USA) is an American
professional basketball
player with the Wonju Dongbu Promy
of the Korean Basketball League
. He is a notable blog
writer.
, 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.
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.
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.
On August 25, 2008, he was signed by defending French Pro-A league champion SLUC Nancy
. He requested and was granted a release on December 12, 2008. Not soon after, he signed a deal with the NBDL's Dakota Wizards
, his former D-League team.
On March 4, 2009, he was traded to the Reno Bighorns for Jesse Smith.
Benson will play for the Utah Jazz
in the Orlando Pro Summer League, and later for the Los Angeles Clippers
in the NBA Summer League
in 2010
.
He currently plays for the Wonju Dongbu Promy
of the Korean Basketball League
.
.
He wrote an autobiographical feature article that was published in SLAM Magazine
in April 2008. He has also been featured in ESPN The Magazine
, and was profiled on the ESPN
television series E:60
by Bill Simmons
in April 2008.
Rod Benson is a co-founder of the so-called "Boom Tho Movement", a loose organization devoted to the philosophy of "having fun, being ridiculous, and being yourself". Along with fellow UC-Berkeley student Jason "JGant" Gant, Benson has produced several music video
s for YouTube
based on the movement. According to Benson, his catchphrase "Boom Tho!" is defined as "an occurrence of an uncommonly good thing." Benson even sells "Boom Tho" memorabilia on his site, and has designed multiple t-shirts adorned with "Boom Tho" logos.
Benson's blogging has actually been viewed in a negative light by some NBA executives, however, who actually call it a "red flag
" -- not only because they see him spending time writing and filming instead of working on his game (a notion Benson disputes, citing his 2007-08 NBDL All-Star status), but also because they fear the free-spirited Benson will break the "locker room code" and write candidly about coaches, teammates, & the front office. But Benson maintains that he still has to "keep it real": "What you get is a blog that chronicles the ridiculousness that I call my life, complete with photos, videos, and whatever else may be necessary for you to get the point."
Fairfield, California
Fairfield is a city located in Solano County in Northern California, USA. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately from the city center of both cities, approximately from the city center of Oakland, less than from Napa Valley, 18...
, USA) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player with the Wonju Dongbu Promy
Wonju Dongbu Promy
The Wonju Dongbu Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League.-Trophies:*Champions : 3** 2002-2003, 2004–2005, 2007–2008*Regular season titles : 3** 2003-2004, 2004–2005, 2007–2008-Famous players:...
of the Korean Basketball League
Korean Basketball League
The Korean Basketball League, often abbreviated to the KBL, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in South Korea. Its inaugural season was in 1997. The season starts in October and ends in April the following year. The KBL consists of 10 teams. Each team plays 54 games . Each team...
. He is a notable blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
writer.
High school
Benson attended Torrey Pines High SchoolTorrey Pines High School
Torrey Pines High School is a high school in the North County Coastal area of San Diego, California. The school is named after the Torrey Pine tree that grows in the area...
, 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.
College career
Benson graduated from the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
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.
Professional career
In the summer of 2006, Benson played for the Sacramento KingsSacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
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
Austin Toros
The Austin Toros are a NBA Development League minor league basketball team based in Cedar Park, Texas, United States.The team plays home games at Cedar Park Center.Their logo is the design of a bull and basketball with the state of Texas in the background...
. 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
Dakota Wizards
The Dakota Wizards are an American basketball team in the NBA Development League, based in Bismarck, North Dakota. Home games are played at the Bismarck Civic Center.-Beginnings in IBA:...
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
Arkansas RimRockers
The Arkansas RimRockers were a NBA Development League team. They participated in minor league basketball based in Little Rock, Arkansas.Logo design: A red, white, and blue ball going through a basketball rim ....
. After training with the NBA's New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
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.
On August 25, 2008, he was signed by defending French Pro-A league champion SLUC Nancy
SLUC Nancy
The Stade Lorrain Université Club Nancy, usually abbreviated to SLUC Nancy, is a French professional basketball club. The club is based in the city of Nancy, in the region of Lorraine. The team plays in the French Pro A League....
. He requested and was granted a release on December 12, 2008. Not soon after, he signed a deal with the NBDL's Dakota Wizards
Dakota Wizards
The Dakota Wizards are an American basketball team in the NBA Development League, based in Bismarck, North Dakota. Home games are played at the Bismarck Civic Center.-Beginnings in IBA:...
, his former D-League team.
On March 4, 2009, he was traded to the Reno Bighorns for Jesse Smith.
Benson will play for the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in the Orlando Pro Summer League, and later for the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in the NBA Summer League
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League is a period during which NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups. Typically, there is a mix of rookies and some of the younger bench players to see how well some players work with others...
in 2010
2010 in basketball
Tournaments include international , professional and amateur and collegiate levels.-Men's tournaments:* 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey** ** All-tournament team:*** Kevin Durant, *** Linas Kleiza,...
.
He currently plays for the Wonju Dongbu Promy
Wonju Dongbu Promy
The Wonju Dongbu Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League.-Trophies:*Champions : 3** 2002-2003, 2004–2005, 2007–2008*Regular season titles : 3** 2003-2004, 2004–2005, 2007–2008-Famous players:...
of the Korean Basketball League
Korean Basketball League
The Korean Basketball League, often abbreviated to the KBL, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in South Korea. Its inaugural season was in 1997. The season starts in October and ends in April the following year. The KBL consists of 10 teams. Each team plays 54 games . Each team...
.
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! SportsYahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports was launched on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from STATS, Inc., employs various writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American sport...
.
He wrote an autobiographical feature article that was published in SLAM Magazine
SLAM Magazine
SLAM Magazine is an American basketball magazine in circulation since 1994, published by Source Interlink. SLAM publishes nine issues a year to its circulation of over 500,000 readers worldwide.-History:...
in April 2008. He has also been featured in ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....
, and was profiled on the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
television series E:60
E:60
E:60 is a weekly investigative journalism newsmagazine show. It premiered on ESPN on October 16, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT. The show is one hour long....
by Bill Simmons
Bill Simmons
William J. "Bill" Simmons III is a sports columnist, author, and podcaster. He currently writes columns and hosts podcasts for Grantland.com, which is affiliated with ESPN.com. He is a former writer for ESPN The Magazine and Jimmy Kimmel Live!...
in April 2008.
Rod Benson is a co-founder of the so-called "Boom Tho Movement", a loose organization devoted to the philosophy of "having fun, being ridiculous, and being yourself". Along with fellow UC-Berkeley student Jason "JGant" Gant, Benson has produced several music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s for YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
based on the movement. According to Benson, his catchphrase "Boom Tho!" is defined as "an occurrence of an uncommonly good thing." Benson even sells "Boom Tho" memorabilia on his site, and has designed multiple t-shirts adorned with "Boom Tho" logos.
Benson's blogging has actually been viewed in a negative light by some NBA executives, however, who actually call it a "red flag
Red flag
In politics, a red flag is a symbol of Socialism, or Communism, or sometimes left-wing politics in general. It has been associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution. Socialists adopted the symbol during the Revolutions of 1848 and it became a symbol of communism as a result of its...
" -- not only because they see him spending time writing and filming instead of working on his game (a notion Benson disputes, citing his 2007-08 NBDL All-Star status), but also because they fear the free-spirited Benson will break the "locker room code" and write candidly about coaches, teammates, & the front office. But Benson maintains that he still has to "keep it real": "What you get is a blog that chronicles the ridiculousness that I call my life, complete with photos, videos, and whatever else may be necessary for you to get the point."