Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008
Chances are you or somebody you know within county athletic circles has heard of Crossland High School junior guard Percy Woods Jr.
Last season, he was among the county leading scorers at more than 25 points per game. The preceding year, he was one of a few freshman starters on county basketball squads.
But Woods’ coach Sam Harris would bet that picking the Cavaliers’ go-to guy out in a crowd would not be easy.
Once the whistle blows though, look out.
‘‘He’s a very cordial, quiet and polite kid,” Harris said. ‘‘Give him a basketball and he just takes it to a whole different level. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of him is that he is competitive.”
His freshman season, the odds were stacked against Woods. The Cavaliers had a bevy of seniors who all thought it was their time to shine.
Ironically, it was Woods’ prowess on the other side of the ball that sealed his spot on the varsity squad that season.
‘‘I think my freshman year was my best defensive year,” said Woods who was averaging just over 26 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals through 10 games this season. ‘‘That first year, that’s how I would get my time, playing defense.”
It’s not that Woods is bad on defense now, as a three- or four-steal game is about normal this season. But now that Woods is his team’s best player on the offensive end, the Cavaliers need his help more than ever. And Woods has responded in his second season as team captain, although it took him a while to step into that role the way Harris wanted him to.
‘‘I put him as captain his sophomore year, but he wasn’t quite the leader I wanted him to be,” said Harris, noting that Woods’ youth and laid-back attitude may have had some part in that. ‘‘But now, it’s like having a senior on the team. He keeps everything in perspective. He makes everyone on the team better and he’s just looking to take it to the next level.”
Cavaliers’ senior guard Sean Smith, one of Woods’ closest friends on the team, has seen a difference in Woods over the years.
‘‘His maturity has doubled since the ninth grade,” Smith said. ‘‘I can see it in his shot selection, when he passes. He knows exactly when to or not to pass and bring the ball back out. He’s the type of captain that will correct you by showing on the court. He would make any team better.”
Perhaps Woods’ biggest virtue is his desire to improve. Harris said that although Woods can light up the scoreboard, his duties as a point guard are more important to him. Harris said Woods’ only questions after the game do not involve points, but his assist to turnover ratio.
Woods’ — who has played basketball since he was 5 years old — learned a lot about the game from his father, Percy Sr.
‘‘I would wake him up at 6 a.m. some mornings to take him down to Watkins [Park] and show him the basics of the game and let him watch me and my friends play,” Percy Sr. said. ‘‘I always told him defense wins games, but offense sells tickets. Back in the day, we prided ourselves on defense more than offense. If you score 35 points and your opponent scores 35 points, it doesn’t balance out.”
Percy Sr. even helps out in some Cavaliers’ practices, sharing his knowledge of the game with all of the players.
Woods’ support system spans from family all the way to the National Basketball Association, as he and standout Seattle SuperSonics rookie forward Kevin Durant — a native of Seat Pleasant — are best friends.
In fact, the 16-year-old Woods has known the 19-year-old Durant for about 10 years.
Both played at the Seat Pleasant Community Center and played for the Prince George’s Jaguars AAU club. The two have maintained a close relationship over the past two years as Durant’s career has taken off.
‘‘I’ve known Kevin since I was 6, and instantly, we were cool,” Woods said. ‘‘When I first came to SPCC, he was putting up big numbers. Once he noticed me being a little younger but also talented, he took me under his wing. We became cool like that.”
Woods went to the SuperSonics game against the Washington Wizards Sunday to see his best friend play as Durant finished with 15 points in his first professional trip back home.
In watching his friend play, Woods also puts his future in perspective.
‘‘My goal is to get my grades up in school so that I can go to a good Division I school,” said Woods, who has drawn interest from the University of Texas, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Georgetown and others. ‘‘Just seeing people come out of this area and make it, it makes me want to push myself more. Not a lot of people make it. I want to go as far as I can.”
E-mail Terron Hampton atthampton@gazette.net.
