Iowa big man ends streak
When Adam Woodbury strolled to the podium to make his college choice on Wednesday night, nobody could blame Iowa fans for hoping he would pick anybody but North Carolina.
It's nothing personal against the Tar Heels, but the locals have watched Roy Williams pluck the likes of Raef Lafrentz, Nick Collison, Kirk Hinrich, Harrison Barnes and in 2012, Marcus Paige, out of the state.
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That streak of losing players to Williams ended Wednesday night when the seven-footer from Sioux City (Iowa) East announced that he would stay home to play for Fran McCaffery's Iowa Hawkeyes.
"Next fall I'll be attending the University of Iowa to play for coach McCaffery," said Woodbury to the assembled crowd. "The chance to be able to go only five hours away definitely made a difference in the process.
One of the nation's most improved players, the four-star Woodbury has risen all the way up to No. 42 in the class of 2012 Rivals150.
Formerly weak and not particularly competitive in the post, Woodbury could always survive thanks to his skill level. However, added strength and confidence allowed him to take his game to a new level during the summer of 2012.
Woodbury joins a class that includes four-star point guard Mike Gesell and three-stars Patrick Ingram and Kyle Meyer.