Benson played for the Wizards in the 2006-07 and 2007-2008 season. Throughout the 2007-08 season, he averaged a double-double with 13.6 ppg and led the league with 12.1 rpg. Benson has been with Dakota for 22 games this season, during that time he has averaged 7.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg.

Previous to his time with the Wizards this season, Benson was in France with the defending French Pro A-League Champions, the SLUC Nancy.

Benson has also spent some time with NBA teams. In the summer of 2006, he played with the Sacramento Kings Summer League team. He also spent the summer of 2007 training with the New Jersey Nets before resigning with the Wizards for the 2007-2008 season.

“We are very pleased with the addition of Rod Benson to our roster,” said Assistant Coach Jason Glover. “He gives us another inside presence with his athleticism and outstanding rebounding ability.”

Benson will make his Bighorns debut Friday, March 4, when the Fort Wayne Mad Ants travel to Reno. The Bighorns face the Mad Ants at 7:00 p.m. in the Reno Events Center.

The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA’s official minor league and features 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA teams for the 2008-09 season. An expansion team will begin play in Portland, Maine for the 2009-10 season. Sixty former NBA Development League players were on 2008-09 NBA start-of-season rosters, and the league continues to develop current NBA coaches and referees. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote youth basketball, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. The NBA D-League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout this season fans can watch all NBA D-League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.

Contact info: Jason Glover/Assistant Coach

775-742-5859 cell