Timberwolves Summer League player Ben Woodside who is now playing for Gravelines-Dunkerque of the French League was kind of enough to sit down for an interview with me.
Q: Since we are both Bison I will start off with an NDSU question. Why do you think it has been such a rough year?
Ben: I think with a couple of true freshman out on the floor for a significant time of the game and also some injuries that they have it has been a little more difficult. They are still in all the games that they have played, but they need to close games out. Once they start closing out games things will fall into place for them.
Q: How is your season in France going? How did you do in the All Star game?
Ben: The season over here in France is going pretty well right now. We are currently 11-5 and in 3rd place. We have had a couple loses in which we wish we could get back but otherwise things have been going pretty good. It is a wonderful experience and I am really enjoying it. The all-star game was a lot of fun. It was a great atmosphere and a great experience.
Q: When you played on the summer league team this past season what did you think was the biggest difference from the college level?
Ben: I think the biggest change was the athleticism and the length of guys. Guy’s were a lot longer and more athletic than what I was used to in the Summit League.
Q: Who was the most impressive player you played with during the summer?
Ben: The most impressive player that I played with would have to be Jonny Flynn. He did a great job for the T-Wolves in summer league and we came away with Rookie of the Summer League award as that basically says it all.
Q: Going into the summer league what was your mindset? Were you going more for experience or did you think you could make the roster?
Ben: I was going into summer league I was going to be a competitor. I knew I probably wouldn’t have gotten a lot of minutes which happened, but I when I did get the chance I wanted to give it my all and compete.
Q: Have you been following the Timberwolves season? If so, do you think they are on the right track?
Ben: I haven’t had the chance to follow the T-Wolves too much since I have been overseas with the time change. I do check out how they do online and keep track of them that way but I never get the chance to observe them live so this is a difficult question to answer..sorry.
Q: What do you think of Jonny Flynn and Corey Brewer?
Ben: Jonny Flynn and Corey Brewer are wonderful basketball players, but what I observed the most over summer league was that they get along with everyone. Those two guys are fun to be around and they are very personable.
Q: If the NBA is still a goal, what do you think you need to improve on to make it back to the league?
Ben: There are a number of things that I can improve on to try and get into the NBA. Obviously that is always going to be a goal of mine and hopefully sometime some organization will take a chance on me. Until then I need to continue to get in the gym and work hard on individual skills.
Q: When you announced you were going to play in France I knew right away you were going to be very successful. I felt your game is perfect for Europe. Do you feel like your game is a better fit in Europe?
Ben: As a player you can adapt to the environment that you’re in. That’s all I got for that question…..
Q: How has your experience been overseas?
Ben: It has been a wonderful experience and I have been blessed by the Lord to get an experience like this. I am definitely enjoying it.
Q: How can fans go about following you and your season?
Ben: I have a blog that people can follow back home. benwoodside.blogspot.com
Thank you for your time Ben. I wish you continued success in France.
Note* I have lined up an interview with Eddie Johnson to get his thoughts on the T-Wolves. Please look for that interview in the coming days.