Woodard makes decision

There was a time when it appeared that Jesse Woodard would have to wait until the late signing period in order to find a place to call home next year. At the time, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound point guard from Centennial High School in Compton, Calif., was running out of options. However, Woodard, a three-star prospect, has recently seen a few changes in his recruitment take place.

"Jesse has given a commitment to Colorado State," said Mr. Woodard. "He took an official visit to CSU several weeks ago, and the coaching staff has been to our home for an in-home visit. We're just so thankful that Colorado State has given Jesse this opportunity.

"When Jesse injured himself this summer, a lot of schools backed off and were no longer interested," he added. "Those schools that were still interested wanted to see Jesse play during his senior year before they made any decisions on him. When Colorado State got involved and offered a scholarship, Jesse accepted."

Before making a final decision about his future, Woodard had received interest from programs like Florida, Louisville, Southern California, Washington and others. There was a time when he had a number of solid scholarship offers, including one from USC.

However, according to Mr. Woodard, his son was running out of options until Colorado State made the call.

"The coaching staff at Colorado State didn't think they had a chance," he said. "They told us that Jesse is the best point guard that they've ever recruited. The coaching staff also said that Jesse might be the best point guard to ever commit to Colorado State.

"Jesse is just so excited about the opportunity to play Division I basketball," he added. "We know that Colorado State has a pretty good big man and they've got some talented players. My son is looking forward to being a member of the team next year."