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EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
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Something to prove Former Wildcat Woods answering critics again
Updated: Monday June 18, 2001 2:37 PM
By Mark Button, CNNSI.com This is nothing new for Loren Woods. Questions about his potential, his intensity and his disturbing tendency to disappear during any given game stalked the 7-foot-1 center his entire college career. Before the 2001 NCAA tournament, the Arizona senior couldn't walk to class without hearing or reading comments such as, "If the Wildcats are to going to win, the real Loren Woods will have to show up." Not exactly positive reinforcement. Woods answered his critics by averaging 16 points and 7.7 rebounds a game while leading Arizona to the national championship game against Duke. A defensive force in the paint, he averaged four blocked shots per game in March and earned spots on the All-Final Four and All-Midwest Regional teams. Now, on the verge of the NBA Draft, scouts wonder about his strength and size. When his college career concluded in April, Woods weighed a rail-thin 232 pounds. Although his athleticism and wingspan have garnered comparisons to New York's Marcus Camby, NBA scouts doubted Woods could handle the physicality of the NBA. In a word, they considered him "soft." Woods is answering his critics again. "I've been working extra hard in the weight room, six days a week," Woods said after a recent workout for the Atlanta Hawks, who have the No. 3 pick in the June 27 draft. Woods' efforts are paying off. The soft-spoken St. Louis native looked bigger than he did in college during his Atlanta workout. He said he's added about 15 pounds of muscle, and he has plans -- big plans -- for more. "Once I get about 15 to 20 more pounds on me, I'll be as good as anyone in the league," he said. Lofty aspirations, for sure, but draft analysts such as Chris Monter say Woods' stock has increased from a late first-round pick to as high as a late lottery pick. "His stock is rising," Monter said. "He's been working really hard on his strength, and he shot the ball well [in workouts]. That's something a lot of people didn't know about him. Plus, he has a nice touch from the free-throw line. He was 30-of-33 from the line in the NCAA tournament." So far, New Jersey, Houston, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Golden State, Charlotte and Atlanta have worked out Woods. All eight teams have picks in the top 16; Boston has two, at 10 and 11. A five-year college athlete -- Woods transferred from Wake Forest after his freshman year and returned to Arizona after his junior year instead of going pro in 2000 -- Woods' game is far more polished than potential top-five prospects Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and Kwame Brown, all of whom elected to jump to the NBA instead of enrolling in college. "Given his experience," said Hawks head coach Lon Kruger, "Woods would be expected to be further along than the high school players. And he is." If Woods is bothered by the fact that he will be drafted after those bypassing college for the NBA, he's keeping it to himself. "It would disturb me if I played against one of those guys and they killed me, but that's not going to happen," Woods said. "Teams are going to pick whoever they want, whether it's a guy coming out of college or someone who has played overseas for 12 years. So it doesn't really matter." Still, Woods can't shy away from the obvious motivational benefits of his situation. "The only thing that matters with the draft is how much money guys will be making," he said. "No matter where they are drafted, I'm going to know how much they're making, and I'll be able to catch up in three years with my next contract." Monter said Woods' might not be far off with this attitude. "So much of this draft is about upside and potential," Monter said. "These [high school] players have a chance to be pretty special, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Woods have a better first or second year than the high school kids." Woods knows he needs to continue to add strength and size. He must become a better rebounder and show the kind of intensity and desire he showcased in the NCAA tournament. Woods says that's not going to be a problem. "I just have to keep working," he said, "and I'll have just as good of a chance of winning the Rookie of the Year as anyone."
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