Texas big man still making impression
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Late last summer, a big man from Texas started to make a sizable impression on the summer circuit. This season, that big man - Dominic Woodson - played his high school ball about as far away from his home in Round Rock as possible.
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He's continued to make a big impression.
A massive 6-foot-9, 270-pounder, Woodson made his way to Saxtons River (Vt.) Vermont Academy for his junior year, where he played under second-year head coach Jesse Bopp.
"Anybody that sees him play, whether it's you, me, Rick Pitino, Lon Kruger or whoever it is, is struck by his size," Bopp told Rivals.com. "You see him run down the floor and you say, 'wow.' You see him catch and jump hook and you say 'wow' and then you see him hit a three and you say he's got a chance to be pretty good."
Watch the Texan play and it's clear that his skill level is outstanding. He has great hands, faces up and shoots with legitimate three-point range and can score with either hand around the bucket. When Woodson has it rolling, he's similar in style to a young Zach Randolph.
"He's a guy that really likes to play on the perimeter and he believes in his skill set," Bopp said. "I'd say he's perimeter prone right now and a lot of schools see that and they love that. For us, he needs to develop a stronger desire to score and rebound in the paint for us.
"He has the capacity to just turn into an animal out there."
Even since the summer, Woodson has shown a significant jump in his productivity and there's a good chance that the four-star prospect can move up much higher than his current ranking of No. 89 in the 2013 Rivals150.
Bopp certainly sees plenty of room for improvement.
"The jump he needs to make is with his effectiveness and his efficiency," said Bopp. "How does he take all of these skills and ability he has and implement them into his game?
"His work ethic needs to match his gifts and if his work ethic matches what he's been given he can be a top 25 player."
Among those who have already offered scholarships and been most consistent in Woodson's recruitment are Louisville, Oklahoma, Baylor, while TCU and Illinois have also offered. Others that have shown interest include Michigan, Michigan State, Miami, Texas Tech, Providence, Connecticut, N.C State, Alabama and Pittsburgh, among others.
This spring and summer, Woodson will again run the grassroots circuit with the Ray Jackson Rising Stars. He's been on a few visits, but at this point he's still very early in the recruiting process.
"He's been to Oklahoma, he's been to Baylor, he's been to TCU and he's been to UConn so those are his frames of reference," said Bopp. "I think he's a kid that is conscientious and aware of things, but he's not caught up in the recruiting process.
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