Woods' Performance Excites Teammates
WINSTON-SALEM, NC – Seventh Woods isn’t the loudest guy on North Carolina’s team. In fact, he’s probably the quietest.
So, in Saturday’s 95-57 win over Wake Forest at Joel Coliseum, Woods let his play do the talking, finishing with nine points and just one turnover on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting in nine minutes of play.
“It’s just going out there with a clear mind, not trying to force anything, just letting the game come to me,” Woods said. “I got two easy layups, that was always a great start for me, knocked down a three and I just tried to keep it rolling going into the second half.”
Besides Coby White, Woods is really UNC’s only other option at the point guard position until Leaky Black returns from injury, making the junior’s contributions on the court that much more important.
“The mindset is the same (with Black injured),” Woods said. “I just go out there and try to give us a spark off the bench. My mindset doesn't change, I just know there’s more opportunity for me to go out there and play. I’ve just go to play harder and better.”
Not only was Woods pleased with his performance against the Demon Deacons, his teammates were as well.
“For Sev to come out and play as well as he did, it’s big for his confidence and it’s big for the team,” Kenny Williams said. “He hasn’t had the easiest time lately so for him to come out and continue to be aggressive and play the way he did was huge for everybody.”
Since ACC play started on Jan. 5, Woods has averaged just 10 minutes a game compared to his 15.5 average during the non-conference slate. Despite his limited minutes as of late, the Columbia, SC, native took full advantage when given the opportunity against Wake Forest.
“He’s huge,” Luke Maye said. “You guys have seen how he’s played against Gonzaga and Notre Dame, he’s had some really good games. He’s just gotta get that confidence going and continue to play as well as he can to give coach the confidence to put him in.”
Playing like he did on Saturday will certainly give Roy Williams and Woods himself more belief in his abilities going forward. That could be huge for the Tar Heels, who will likely face Duke in Durham next Wednesday with Black still in street clothes.
“My confidence is going back up a little bit,” Woods said. “Now, I’m just trying to build off of it really.”
If Woods can carry the momentum from Saturday’s efficient performance into the rest of the season, the soft-spoken point guard will be just fine with letting his play continue to do the talking for him.