James Woodard to Tulsa
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okcsooner83
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Good luck to James, a good pick up for Tulsa.
Tony
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Definitely could be (pretty sure it did with Rotnei Clarke), but I don't believe we offered James Woodard.
chuck taylor
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OU did not offer and I suspect we will regret it. I am obviously a big fan of James Woodard and think he is capable of being a starter if not more in the big 12. He is a bit of a late riser but all the more reason to get on his bandwagon. Congrats to Tulsa. not sure about OU recruiting right now. Nothing against Smart but he is probably one and done with the additional cost of having to give a scholarship to Forte. Meanwhile James is a likely four year player with the additional benefit of possibly adding his brother Jordan.
WillJennings
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´´http://okhoops.com/?p=955
For Sam and I this decision hits home because we have followed both James and Jordan Woodard a lot and personally admire both kids. Both are excellent young men on and off the court.
My impressions were that the OU coaching staff really liked James. They felt like he had a lot of talent, but it was just one of those things. OSU really liked James and recruited him more than they did Jordan who many consider a top 100 player nationally. After the Peach Jam, a lot of teams began to like James, but Tulsa was there from the beginning and that is what ultimately paid off for them.
This could potentially be good news for OU because they really like the younger Woodard, Jordan. Jordan is one of many 2013 pg targets for the Sooners, a list that includes Kendall Harris Dallas and Nigel William Gross of Vegas and I believe he is the main one they covet.
Right now the competition for Jordan is Tulsa. I believe he wants to play close to home and he is extremely close to James. However OU has done an excellent job recruiting him. They brought him in early for unofficial visits and Coach Kruger has been instrumental in recruiting him. Coach Kruger loves him. OU would like to get a commitment from him or Harris before December. With six scholarships, OU could take both or they would take the first to commit and stagger the 2013 class with transfers or juco players.
For Sam and I this decision hits home because we have followed both James and Jordan Woodard a lot and personally admire both kids. Both are excellent young men on and off the court.
My impressions were that the OU coaching staff really liked James. They felt like he had a lot of talent, but it was just one of those things. OSU really liked James and recruited him more than they did Jordan who many consider a top 100 player nationally. After the Peach Jam, a lot of teams began to like James, but Tulsa was there from the beginning and that is what ultimately paid off for them.
This could potentially be good news for OU because they really like the younger Woodard, Jordan. Jordan is one of many 2013 pg targets for the Sooners, a list that includes Kendall Harris Dallas and Nigel William Gross of Vegas and I believe he is the main one they covet.
Right now the competition for Jordan is Tulsa. I believe he wants to play close to home and he is extremely close to James. However OU has done an excellent job recruiting him. They brought him in early for unofficial visits and Coach Kruger has been instrumental in recruiting him. Coach Kruger loves him. OU would like to get a commitment from him or Harris before December. With six scholarships, OU could take both or they would take the first to commit and stagger the 2013 class with transfers or juco players.
WTSooner
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Agreed.
I think we'll land a better recruit for 2012, and I think it helps with his younger brother.
As somewhat of a TU fan, hopefully he can do well at TU. They've had tremendous sucess with Oklahoma guards in the past.
WillJennings
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His offer still stood. They did love James. Tulsa led though throughout.
chuck taylor
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Completely agree with your second point re Oklahoma guards at Tulsa. Completely disagree with your first point re finding a better recruit for 2012.
If by Oklahoma guards at Tulsa you are referring to Shea Seals, Pooh Williamson, Dante Swanson, Tony Heard and Eric Coley-- all of whom played in sweet 16 or final 8 teams for the Hurricanes--and you think James Woodard might be the next in that line, then please get him to OU. Each of those players would have been a starter or significant contributor at OU, just as I believe James would. Just who are we close to signing who is better?
WTSooner
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I'd take Hield over him every day of the week, and I think we have a "good" shot there. We're in on some decent bigs. I'd take the JUCO big man from Florida (I think) over him. We still in on the Rose kid from Houston? How about the other pg that LK was recruiting at UNLV? I think both of them are rated higher than Woodard.
WillJennings
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LJ Rose committed to Baylor. Right now OU look ising at some 3/4 type guys to round out the 2012 class. In 2013, they will look to land a pg. Jordan Woodard of Edmond, Kendal Harris of Richardson Tx., and Williams-Gross are their top choices.
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WTSooner
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Is Williams-Gross the kid that had committed to UNLV? For some reason I thought he was a 2012 kid.
I think Oklahoma has a few players that should be ranked and are not. Below is a report from scout.com on the game AF versus Houston Hoops played at the NIKE Peach Jam tournament. There was a lot people who thought AF wouldn't make it to the peach jam. James Woodard, Stevie Clark, and Jordan Woodard played very well together to make it to the peach jam and are players who if not ranked should be, and if they are ranked should be ranked higher than they are.
The Peach Jam morning session featured the best game of the tournament thus far, with Houston Hoops and Athletes First battling to overtime. Athletes First came out on top thanks to excellent rebounding and a stifling zone. For this morning's wrap-up, we'll take a look at the matchups from that exciting game.
J-Mychal Reese (2012) v. Stevie Clark (2013)
This matchup was probably the best of the bunch, as both players were operating at a very high level.
Clark, known for his long-range, volume shooting, displayed more PG skills than he has in the past. He broke down Reese consistently on the dribble and made a quality pass after quality pass to open teammates down low. He operated out of the pick-and-roll often, and found the cutting big man - whether it was Shaquille Morris or Jordan Kaufman - with surprising ease. At his height (5'9 or so), Clark needs to be a PG at the next level and today was a great step in that direction.
While Clark was able to control the offense on his end, Reese did the same for Houston Hoops. When Reese got the ball at the top of the key, he was an absolute terror for Clark to guard. Reese's lateral quickness is impressive, as he uses his shoulders, hands, and hips to really shake off defenders, repeatedly leaving them in the dust with quick crossovers. His deep shot didn't fall well today and while Athlete's First used a zone to stifle his penetration to the lane, Reese was a huge reason why Houston was able to push the game to overtime.
For this morning, the verdict has to go in favor of Clark, who dominated the game at times.
Jordan Woodard (2013) v. Rasheed Sulaimon (2012, Duke)
Rasheed really struggled at times today. His jumper was off and Woodard really got into him with some excellent pressure defense. Rasheed is excellent at shooting off the bounce, however too many times today he took shots off-balance leaning one way or another. He did attack the rim a bit in the second half, overpowering Woodard at times, but it just wasn't the Duke commit's best game.
Jordan Woodard, however, continued his string of strong performances in front of high profile coaches. When Athlete's First went away from their zone, Woodard's pressure defense was evident. He moves well in a defensive stance and has really quick hands, getting a number of steals and tips throughout the game. He scored well getting to the hoop, using his shoulders well to hold off his defender once he's in the lane. His jump shot is still a work in progress, though he did hit a deep jumper or two to keep Sulaimon's defense honest.
Overall, this matchup probably would be scored a draw. Neither player was a huge force offensively, though Jordan was the star alongside Clark in the overtime period.
James Woodard (2012) v. L.J. Rose (2012)
Probably the most impressive half of this game came from James Woodard. While his younger brother and Clark stole the show overall, James put his stamp on the first half with hardcore rebounding and some fantastic defense. As was said at the beginning of the article, Athlete's First won this game because of rebounding, and Woodard was the key to it. He has really long arms and strong hands, which allowed him to forcefully rip away boards from the big guys down low. His ball-handling looks improved from earlier in the summer, and his jumper looks smooth inside the arc. His range will have to improve, especially as a set shooter, but his midrange game looks college-ready. I don't think a comparison to former Athlete's First wing Josh Richardson (2011 Tennessee commit) would be too far off, however Woodard looks to me to be the better player.
L.J. Rose was steady throughout the game, but he seemed to be tripped up the most by the zone defense of Athlete's First. He thrives on playing solid isolation basketball, allowing him to get a defender on his hip and force a help defender to commit to him, which in turn allows his superior vision and passing to shine. With AF not allowing Rose to get deep in their zone, he was relegated largely to moving the ball around the perimeter and taking contested jumpers. He also struggled with the superior athleticism of James Woodard, unable to keep his feet in front of Woodard when he attacked the rim.
Bench Play
The Peach Jam morning session featured the best game of the tournament thus far, with Houston Hoops and Athletes First battling to overtime. Athletes First came out on top thanks to excellent rebounding and a stifling zone. For this morning's wrap-up, we'll take a look at the matchups from that exciting game.
J-Mychal Reese (2012) v. Stevie Clark (2013)
This matchup was probably the best of the bunch, as both players were operating at a very high level.
Clark, known for his long-range, volume shooting, displayed more PG skills than he has in the past. He broke down Reese consistently on the dribble and made a quality pass after quality pass to open teammates down low. He operated out of the pick-and-roll often, and found the cutting big man - whether it was Shaquille Morris or Jordan Kaufman - with surprising ease. At his height (5'9 or so), Clark needs to be a PG at the next level and today was a great step in that direction.
While Clark was able to control the offense on his end, Reese did the same for Houston Hoops. When Reese got the ball at the top of the key, he was an absolute terror for Clark to guard. Reese's lateral quickness is impressive, as he uses his shoulders, hands, and hips to really shake off defenders, repeatedly leaving them in the dust with quick crossovers. His deep shot didn't fall well today and while Athlete's First used a zone to stifle his penetration to the lane, Reese was a huge reason why Houston was able to push the game to overtime.
For this morning, the verdict has to go in favor of Clark, who dominated the game at times.
Jordan Woodard (2013) v. Rasheed Sulaimon (2012, Duke)
Rasheed really struggled at times today. His jumper was off and Woodard really got into him with some excellent pressure defense. Rasheed is excellent at shooting off the bounce, however too many times today he took shots off-balance leaning one way or another. He did attack the rim a bit in the second half, overpowering Woodard at times, but it just wasn't the Duke commit's best game.
Jordan Woodard, however, continued his string of strong performances in front of high profile coaches. When Athlete's First went away from their zone, Woodard's pressure defense was evident. He moves well in a defensive stance and has really quick hands, getting a number of steals and tips throughout the game. He scored well getting to the hoop, using his shoulders well to hold off his defender once he's in the lane. His jump shot is still a work in progress, though he did hit a deep jumper or two to keep Sulaimon's defense honest.
Overall, this matchup probably would be scored a draw. Neither player was a huge force offensively, though Jordan was the star alongside Clark in the overtime period.
James Woodard (2012) v. L.J. Rose (2012)
Probably the most impressive half of this game came from James Woodard. While his younger brother and Clark stole the show overall, James put his stamp on the first half with hardcore rebounding and some fantastic defense. As was said at the beginning of the article, Athlete's First won this game because of rebounding, and Woodard was the key to it. He has really long arms and strong hands, which allowed him to forcefully rip away boards from the big guys down low. His ball-handling looks improved from earlier in the summer, and his jumper looks smooth inside the arc. His range will have to improve, especially as a set shooter, but his midrange game looks college-ready. I don't think a comparison to former Athlete's First wing Josh Richardson (2011 Tennessee commit) would be too far off, however Woodard looks to me to be the better player.
L.J. Rose was steady throughout the game, but he seemed to be tripped up the most by the zone defense of Athlete's First. He thrives on playing solid isolation basketball, allowing him to get a defender on his hip and force a help defender to commit to him, which in turn allows his superior vision and passing to shine. With AF not allowing Rose to get deep in their zone, he was relegated largely to moving the ball around the perimeter and taking contested jumpers. He also struggled with the superior athleticism of James Woodard, unable to keep his feet in front of Woodard when he attacked the rim.
Bench Play
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