Basketball prodigy Seventh Woods focusing on the journey, not the hype

Time has passed quickly for Seventh Woods, the basketball prodigy who gained national attention as a sixth grader and had an ESPN SportsCenter No. 1 highlight as a high school sophomore.

Things that were remote dreams for him as a youngster now loom large on the horizon for Hammond’s 6-foot-2 junior point guard.

“It seems like it’s been pretty quick. It went by in the blink of an eye, it seems like,” Woods said. “I still dream of being in the NBA one day, and I’m working really hard. It’s a blessing for my dreams to still be within reach.”

Three months shy of turning 17, Woods already has some fans and analysts visualizing him as a pro.

In five months, Woods will be able to sign a college letter of intent. He has offers from South Carolina, Clemson, North Carolina and Wichita State – as well as interest from many more schools.

Woods remains the consensus No. 1 South Carolina player in next year’s senior class. Recruiting site 247Sports has him rated the fifth best guard in the nation, and No. 26 in the nation overall. Rivals.com ranks him 18^th in the nation.

A few days ago, Seventh’s father, Louis Woods Sr., told recruiting columnist Phil Kornblut there were no frontrunners or favorites, and discounted internet rumors that the decision is down to North Carolina and South Carolina. Louis Woods said his son and his family have not set any timeline for making or announcing his college choice.

For Woods and his family, the recruiting process is not the most important aspect of his journey.

Woods, who two summers ago was the youngest player on the USA Basketball Men’s U16 World Championship team, has made it clear that his mission was not to live up to the hype of being a No. 1 recruit.

For Woods, the first three years of high school have been about pushing himself to match and exceed his potential.

“I just focus on basketball. Basketball is what’s going to take me where I want to go, so I’ve just been trying keep my grades up and be the best basketball player I can be,” he said.

In his junior season, Woods averaged 16.3 points, 3.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.6 steals for the 26-4 Skyhawks. For his varsity career, which began in eighth grade, Woods averages 17. 5 points, 4 rebounds and roughly 4 steals and assists per game.

“Heading into a senior year, it’s a little bit different than evaluating players as underclassmen,” said Josh Gershon, a national recruiting analyst with Scout.com, which has Woods ranked 33^rd in the nation. “We learn more about a kid every single year. From year to year, how quickly they’re evolving is a good indicator of where they are heading. With Seventh, we’ve been fortunate to be able to watch him for a long time, and he’s given us some big hints about how good he can be.”

Seventh Woods has grown in three seasons – less in stature than in wisdom and skill.

Gershon pointed to Woods’ expanded shooting range and shot arsenal, plus his improved ball-handling and decision-making as point guard. Hammond coach Mark McClam said Woods is becoming a more explosive player as he continues to add strength.

“It’s kind of hard for me to believe that four years of coaching him have already gone by,” McClam said.

“His leadership skills have grown, he’s a lot more vocal on the court and he plays with a lot more outwardly positive emotion,” McClam said. “He’s smiling more and engaging his teammates more to get them into the game. He was always very quiet but very non-emotional. Now he’s showing more of that passion that helps to drive his teammates.”

Woods said, “That change came naturally. I guess, when I got to Hammond in eighth grade, I didn’t really know anybody, I hung back as far as that. But now I’m a junior, I’m a leader on the team. I’ve got to do it.”

Emotions came to the fore in December 2014, when Woods lost his grandparents – Helen and Ned Woods – to a tragic housefire. Woods played through his grief. Hours after learning of their death, Woods scored a game-high 37 points to lead Hammond to a 94-68 win against Spring Valley.

It is something he is not sure he would have been able to do two or three years ago.

“Some of it was maturity, and some was just a blessing,” Woods said. “It was one of the things that reminded me just to play every game like it’s my last, and I always try to do that. It was just a blessing that I was able to do it on that night.”

He has watched friends and teammates step forward into bright futures, and has tried to learn as much as he could from them. P.J. Dozier, McDonald’s All-American at Spring Valley High and Gamecocks signee, and all-state player Tevin Mack have been great role models for him.

“I talk to P.J. and Tevin all the time, and one of the things they always talk about is how fast it went by and just enjoying it as it goes by, not rushing to make that decision about college,” Woods said.

But no matter how much has changed, Woods is still the same in the most important ways.

“What continues to amaze me,” McClam said, “is how he humbly deals with all the hype, the media and video stuff and takes it in stride.

“He’s still very level-headed. He’s still all about the team, and on the court he never complains about the plays we run, he never complains that someone else is getting the ball, that he’s not getting the shots.”

Tournament games sell out with fans aching for a chance to see Seventh Woods play, so he knows he could be the center of attention if he wanted.

“But it’s not always about me; it’s about making my teammates better and helping them have the same opportunities I had,” said Woods, who this past week in Kentucky, posted 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a win for his Carolina Wolves AAU squad.

Woods’ opportunities are wide open.

“He’s always going to be a tremendous athlete. His skill set plus his athleticism, he’s going to be a top recruit no matter what,” Gershon said. That does not mean that the pressure is off now, he said.

“I’m sure Seventh has his own pressures, but the good news for him is that no matter what happens over the next year, you can’t bet against him, because he’s got that tremendous upside.”

He might already have earned his ticket to college, but Woods is not taking a victory lap. Everything Woods has been taught – by his parents, his coaches, his teammates – affirms his instincts to work even harder in his senior season.

“It’s an honor to have so many people who want to see me be successful, and I’m working hard every day to be better than I was the day before, to do everything I can to make it happen,” he said.

Woods is about to enter the fourth quarter of his high school basketball career, but he knows the game is far from over.

This story was originally published May 2, 2015 at 11:34 PM with the headline "Basketball prodigy Seventh Woods focusing on the journey, not the hype."