ESPN 100 guard Seventh Woods commits to UNC over South Carolina
North Carolinawill exit the early signing period with a borderline top-10 class after ESPN 100 guard Seventh Woods chose the Tar Heels over South Carolinaon Wednesday morning.
"Coach Roy Williams and his coaching staff believed in me from day one and UNC has always been my dream school growing up," Woods told ESPN.com's Reggie Rankin.
Woods, ranked No. 53 in the 2016 class, also had Georgetown involved down the stretch. It went down to the final days between the Carolina schools, with Woods taking an additional visit to each one after visiting both officially earlier this fall. Woods also went to South Carolina's exhibition game over the weekend, but North Carolina was able to make up ground before decision day.
A 6-foot-1 guard from Hammond School (South Carolina), Woods made a name for himself early in his high school career with YouTube highlights and mixtapes showcasing his athleticism and dunking ability. However, Woods is more than just a guy who makes plays in the open court. He has improved as a distributor and decision-maker as his high school career has progressed, although he still is working on being more of a pure point guard at the next level. Woods also is capable of making shots from the perimeter. He had seven straight games with at least 17 points to finish off the spring session of the Under Armour Association circuit.
Woods will give Roy Williams another backcourt weapon when he enters the program, and will help ease the loss of senior All-American Marcus Paige. Nate Britt and Joel Berry will be back to run the point, but Woods gives the Tar Heels an added element of explosiveness on the perimeter.
The Tar Heels' recruiting over the past year has been hindered by the NCAA's investigation into the program, but Woods is the third ESPN 100 commitment for Williams since the start of September.
He joins five-star center Tony Bradley (No. 26) and four-star wing Brandon Robinson (No. 61) in North Carolina's 2016 class. The Tar Heels are still in pursuit of five-star guard Rawle Alkins (No. 15) and five-star center Udoka Azubuike (No. 22), both of whom visited Chapel Hill in recent weeks.
On the flip side, this is a tough blow for Frank Martin's program. South Carolina had prioritized Seventh Woods since day one, and the Gamecocks were hoping to keep the state's best player home for a second straight year, after signing P.J. Dozier in 2014. Moreover, they were considered to be in the driver's seat for Woods until the final hours. South Carolina currently has one commitment, ESPN 100 forward Sedee Keita (No. 78).
