Ben Woodside had a story book season for the Albert Lea High School boys’ basketball team.

No, make that a record book season.

The 6-foot guard broke nearly every significant record for the Tigers, including most points in a game, season and career, and become only the second player in school history to top 1,000 career points.

The story, though, is far from finished. There’s another chapter, and it promises to be the most mesmerizing yet.

Woodside is only a junior, but his exploits on the court this past season make him the Tribune’s Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

Last year, there was some debate about who would be the Player of the Year. This time it was seemingly settled early. After the first few games it was clear Woodside would probably repeat, provided he could stay healthy. He didn’t remain injury-free, though, sustaining what was initially labeled a severe ankle sprain in December that required a cast. It kept him sidelined one game.

Woodside went on to average 23.5 points per game, shooting 47.1 percent on two-point field goals (188-for-399), 32.3 percent on threes (51-for-158) and 70.6 percent of his free throws (137-for-194) while playing in one of the toughest conferences in the state against defenses determined to contain him.

Albert Lea head coach Matt Addington, who played in the Big Nine at Rochester John Marshall, said Woodside has definitely earned respect not only in the conference but throughout the state. But it’s not Woodside’s physical abilities that impress his coach the most. It’s his desire, competitive nature and drive to improve.

“I think most coaches in the Big Nine would agree that he was the best guard in the league,” said Addington. “Most coaches would agree that a player like Woody is a great place to start a team. He can hurt you in so many ways – that’s why we like having the ball in his hands. The thing that stands out in my mind is how hard he works at his game and what a competitor he is.

&uot;He absolutely hates to lose. I have said it before, but there is not a guy that works harder on his game than Woody. The honors he has received are a product of this. I know that he would trade all of those for a conference championship and a state tournament trip, however. He wants nothing more than team success.”

And he has found a way to help his team win – at least much more than it won in the past decade or so. In the 2001-02 season, Addington’s first as the Tigers’ head coach, they won their most games in 10 years. They won one more than that this past season.

Woodside’s family history with Albert Lea basketball was chronicled when he was named Player of the Year last year, but it bears repeating.

His grandpa, Jack Woodside, at one time held the ALHS single-season scoring record and his dad, Paul, was an all-state guard. His mom, Roberta (VanderWaal) Woodside, is the No. 2 all-time scorer for ALHS girls’ basketball.

At this point it’s not a question of if Woodside will play basketball in college. It’s a matter of where.

“There have been lots of schools looking at Ben and rightly so,” said Addington. “I have talked to Indiana and Minnesota from the Big Ten and he may eventually be able to play at that level. Many mid-majors have been very interested and he would be a very good player at that level. Much will be determined by how much he improves on his weaknesses this summer and how that translates into his play next season. The player we need him to be at the high school level is not always what he will need to be at the college level.”

But, according to Addington, you can rest assured Woodside will be doing whatever is necessary to prepare himself.

“The personal accolades that he has received are a product of his hard work and determination to make himself the best he can be,” said Addington. “He knows what he has to improve on and will work towards that.”