can we retire #10 ? First Conference Home Game!
This is absolutely the right thing to do!!!
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can we retire #10 ? First Conference Home Game!
This is absolutely the right thing to do!!!
Only if they retire Phil's number.
When Ben gets that multi-jabillion dollar NBA contract and builds us a new basketball arena, I'm sure that the #10 jersey will be hanging there! :D
No. IMHO, maybe they could do something like a 5yr retirement.
I said it in another thread. I understand the team philosophy, but if ever a jersey was to be retired, it's Ben's. I vote to retire his jersey. ;)
Naw, you don't retire college jerseys. I vote no.
I vote no.
JJ Redick was arguably not the best point guard to ever play at Duke (Bobby Hurley) but he put Duke on the National map that year and had an amazing career (why they retired it). What Woody has done and continues to do for NDSU basketball cannot be measured. He is a legend! Pure and simple. No one EVER believed we could have had that kind of success in 5 years of transition. Now we are on the map and that affects everything from things such as attendance at games and future players who committ to come to NDSU to overall student enrollment and research dollars. Did he do it all? Absolutely not! It is a team game and specific names likes Winks, Dre, Nelly, and Luke had huge impacts. Tveidt, Freddy, Carlson in the last couple years. BUT, when you mention HUGE things like Wisconsin, you say Woody had ice in his veins when he stepped up and hit those freethrows, he hit "The shot" in the Summitt Championship. He is the All-Time everything leader in NDSU basketball history. He tied Pistol Pete's NCAA record for freethrows in a game. He scored the most points by any one player in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The list is endless. Basically, he accomplished in a career, EVERYTHING a kid from a midmajor could ever dream to accomplish (other than make a run in the NCAA tourney) and at a school transitioning to D1 where he only got one shot at the NCAAs. After he gets drafted in the 2nd round and makes an NBA roster, the argument will be a done deal, he deserves to have his jersey retired. Has has done more (as recognized by college basketball nation) than any other player before him and probably in the future. Ask Lance Burwald or Jeff Askew who followed the team all season. He is the best (and the first to admit that without great teammates would not have accomplished 1/2 of what he did) and I am honored to have followed this team and him for the last 5 years. ;)
I would back retiring number 10. Woodside will always be a legend at NDSU.
Just do what KU does. Retire the jersey and not the number. Basically they just hang a banner up with the players name and number but the number is not officially retired but the player gets recognized.
I've honestly always thought that #1 in football should be retired, especially when we have thugs wearing it now, kind of a shame.
woody better have his jersey retired, first game.
not another game should be played at NDSU until this is done.
He is the SOLE reason NDSU basketball is known to millions of americans!
They retired his jersey because he was the Adolf F. Rupp Athlete of the year two years in a row. I know UNC retires the number of any player that gets that award. I don't believe that Duke does but I would guess most of them did...and no other Duke player has ever won it more that once. Matter of fact only 2 others have ever done it since the award was created. JJ was the first since the early 80's. I see the argument for retiring his jersey but I vote no.
Yeah he's the SOLE reason. It had nothing to do with the fact that 2 other players on the team are in the top 10 scorers in NDSU history too. It had nothing to do with the fact that Nelson could defend anybody in the nation. It had nothing to do with Tweets play that kept NDSU in the championship game. You're right it was all Ben.
Don't forget Dre as well. He was the big brother that helped everyone get comfortable before letting them lose on their own. Yeah, Nelly had 3 of his biggest games of his career vs. Wisconsin, Marquette, and the Bracket Buster. Don't let Lakes get you worked up...he'll always be Lakes. If he said that to my face, I look at him like he was crazy and then he'd start laughing and say "just kidding, but he was the man, right?" and I'd agree. :rofl: ;)
imo we should also retire the BSA from anymore use for basketball games because all of that magic started with that gym....and we should have the new arena paid for and ready to use by November :D
Yes Ben Woodsides jersey should be retired but not the number!
My thoughts on this issue revolve more around the team. How this particular group competed against high-major competition as individual players and as a team is how they are judged by followers and observers of college basketball in general.
While there overall record against high-major competition was not that great, we all know the big wins and the close games they had but more importantly they never really got blown out by high major teams which is highly unusual. They always competed.
Woody was never outclassed by any point guard he faced. Truly could have been a stand out point guard for any team in the country.
Winks was held down scoring wise sometimes by the bigger small forwards he saw at the high-major level but always rebounded and hit big shots when the team needed him to score.
Nelson's scoring numbers frequently increased against high major teams while guarding the opposing teams best perimeter scorer night in and night out. Pretty much a model in consistency his whole career in every facet of the game.
Moorman was the only real post defense we had when Andre left. This team simply would not have been able to compete with any high major team without him and quite frankly this whole program would have been just another mid-major team hardly anyone has ever heard of without him.
Tweidt came on this last year to be that addtional scorer any teams needs to win games. His athleticism as a 6'7" wing player is big time.
What happens as far as to the future success of the Bison Mens program will be determined by what kind of players want to come in and follow what this group has started. Because of the run these guys had, I think it is possible we will get good players that can follow them up with more success in the future.
I think that can be said of almost any Bison athletic program. Generations of athletes have come and gone to lay the ground work to where this team came in. Its an on going process for all teams.
Thats why Im not one to jump on the retire anybodies jersey bandwagon because they did what they were supposed to do. But thats just me.
I don't think anyone would disagree with that but in college sports, no event is bigger than the NCAA tournament IMO. It is millions of people worldwide that get interested in this event and do the brackets.
It is the only opportunity really for a mid-major sports program to get national publicity and recognition. Because this team got national exposure like no other sports team in the history of North Dakota, it should bode well for future recruiting for all sports.
They put NDSU on the map.
I don't know if Woody just did what he was supposed to do. Without his shot we don't go to the dance. I believe the jersey should be retired. Also just b/c it would feel wrong to see someone else wearing #10.
I find that statement interesting as Im sure it was used when the Bison Beat Grambling back in the 60s. It was used when the won the Camillia Bowl and National championships. It was used when the Bison beat the Gophers in FB. Plus many other times that Im not aware of.
When ever the Bison do real well the fans of that era declare the best ever etc because thats in their short collective memory. Happened with Sidrom, Walker, Bentrim etc.
PL...I don't want to sound insensative, but major college sports did not even know who Sindorm or Bentrim were. They played Division II football. Walker only briefly for beating the Goofers, but why we all love and admire Walker was for accomplishments during FCS games, games that major college football don't really acknowledge. Please don't get me wrong. I am born and raised in Fargo and have supported and admired the Bison forever, in fact, Bentrim broke all my dad's NCC rushing and scoring records, so I appreciate the level of competition, but their accomplshments would not have gotten them on Sports Center today, in fact Walker beating Minnesota did not make Sports Center (made college football today instead). Woodside with the help of others put NDSU on the map, in fact, Linda Cohn said it best "#13 Wisconsin had their impressive non-conference home winning streak snapped today by North Dakota State. North Dakota State you say? Yeah, North Dakota State is a basketball team in their 1st year of transition to Division 1 sports. You've likely never heard of North Dakota State, so we will introduce them to you. North Dakota State is located in Fargo, ND with an enrollment of 12,000 students....etc." She didn't say, you probably remember Jeff Bentrim. Dick Vitale called Woody "the Janitor" that day because the media guide said he was a janitor in the dorms during his red shirt year. The accoplishments of the past have been acknowldged and appreciated by EVERYONE throughout the Dakotas and the NCC, but thats NOT the map and Ben Woodside helped put us on it. NDSU has gotten MAJOR press on Sports Center (the acknowledged "map" for college sports) 4 times probably ever. #1......Wisconsin, #2......Marquette, #3.......Summit Championship, #4........Kansas. See a trend??????? WOODSIDE accomplished more as far as putting us on the "national map" of the national casual sports fan than ANY OTHER player in the history of NDSU sports. Will someone be better??? I hope so. BUT, they can never again saying they started from nothing and made a ton. Woody did that. Now they will inherit a ton and hopefully do a ton more. I think my signature picture says it all.....retire the man's jersey. ;)
I understand what you are saying. I just dont think 'Exposure" is a reason.
I would also be hard pressed to retire his jersey over a player who is in the Bison Hall of Fame, Harlon Hill Trophy award winner is in the College Football Hall of Fame and doesnt have his jersey retired. :nod:
But I do appreciate your view point!!!!!!
I can't argue with anything you just said. In fact, I'd argue to retire Bentrim for everything they accomplished on the field, dominating the level of competition he played at like no other player. NDSU basketball never really accomplished much at D2. Everyone said when we went D1, that FCS football is the old D2, nothing more. Therefore, we will never be acknowledged nationally, like other D1 programs. Ben Woodside and company took care of that. Thanks Woody! Thats what I was hoping for someday and you have delivered for 4 straight years. When I go to a conference and someone sees something NDSU I am wearing they usually say. "You have that Cinderella basketball team..right? " I proudly say yes. Its a lot better than when they say "Your really good in that sport, hockey, right". I then think. "Ummm. where do I start???" :rofl: ;)
As great as Woodside was/is, how can you talk about retiring his jersey for all of the reasons previously advanced AND after seeing what some of the Bison Track and Field Athletes did (and no one is talking about retiring Hermanson's jersey).
Retiring a jersey is so rare...and for good reason.
I understand that argument (more attention given to college basketball -- I'm a huge fan of college basketball) but when you look at athlete achievement, there's no comparison. Highlights on Sports Center also include soccer and hockey. Those get a big "WTF" from me. Hockey has a very small audience -- rabid supporters, no doubt, but not that many of them. If you want to consider crowd appeal, you'll have to take a broader view. For example, how popular is track and field at the Olympics? (More popular than basektball.) If sheer crowd size is your measurement, then the NASCAR fans will claim the title (they get Sports Center highlights, too) ... and don't forget rodeo. I've heard rodeo fans present logical arguments on why they're either the first or second-most watched sport. They sometimes have highlights on Sports Center too.
Athletes who have been arrested are featured on highlights on Sports Center.
For me, you talk about retiring jerseys, numbers etc., based on the highest athletic achievement. This year, that was Hermanson. One could argue that the next highest achievements were also track athletes at NDSU.
The next person will be honored to wear number 10. Just as the person who weres number 1. Its called tradition imo.
I think that sums it up quite well. There were some fabulous athletic achievements this year for the Bison but none justify retiring a jersey (or running singlet).
Woodside should ALWAYS have a picture and a special mini-feature story in the NDSU Winter Media book. What he did electrified not only NDSU fans, but the entire Summit League and many who knew nothing about NDSU basketball prior to this year.
Amazing that these old timers would even try to diminish woody. he is the 'identity' of NDSU @ D1 !
b1son is absolutely right, C B S + E S P N= WOODY.
retire it !! no question, D2 is for minot st,und.