"People will come up to me sometimes and ask me why I didn't go to Indiana or Purdue," said Wood, who scored 17 points in Tuesday's All-Stars exhibition victory against the Junior All-Stars at Benton Central. "But I think I made the right decision."
That's what those fans, well-wishers that they are, fear about Wood: that he could be one of those good ones -- really good ones -- who slips through the fingertips of in-state schools and establishes himself as a star.
It wasn't by luck that the sweet-shooting Wood landed at N.C. State. He struck up a friendship with Wolfpack assistant Monte Towe -- who grew up in nearby Converse, Ind., and played on N.C. State's 1974 Final Four team -- when Towe was recruiting Marion's Julius Mays.
When Wood had a lackluster showing in the summer before his junior season, some schools wavered. They wanted to see more. Towe and N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe had seen enough to know Wood was their guy.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Indianapolis Star: 'The All-Star Who Got Away'
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"My family was pretty much split down the middle between IU and Purdue fans," Wood said. "Not me. I was a Duke fan. Now I get to beat them twice a year.""
ReplyDeleteyou gotta like his optimism ... although he obviously doesn't know about our screwed up unbalanced schedule crap...
If I'm not mistaken, we did slightly better than "Final Four" in 1974...
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's like saying the Tar Heels this year made it to the Sweet 16.
ReplyDelete