Union Olimpija signs Ben Woodside

Union Olimpija announced on Friday the addition of point guard Ben Woodside with a one-year contract. Woodside (1.80 meters, 26 years old) arrives from BCM Gravelines of the French League. Last season, he averaged 13.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists to lead his team to the French Cup title and the French League semifinals. In the FIBA EuroChallenge he averaged 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Woodside started his basketball career at the University of North Dakota State in the NCAA. In his senior year with the Bisons he led his team to the Summit League title and direct qualification for the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 23.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. He wrote his name down the NCAA history books on December 12, 2008, when he scored 60 points in a three-overtime game. He also broke Pete Maravich's record in same game, as he made 30 out of 35 free-throw attempts. In the summer of 2009 he was not drafted to the NBA and he decided to start his pro career in France with Gravelines, where he played the last two seasons before joining Olimpija for his Turkish Airlines Euroleague debut.