Seventh Woods to North Carolina: Tar Heels Land 4-Star Guard Prospect

Guard Seventh Woods has long been on the national radar, and he took a big step toward determining his future in basketball on Wednesday. According to Willie Smith of the Greenville News, he committed to play for North Carolina.

Schneider of Big Shots shared an image of Woods donning a Tar Heels hat:

Woods has been considered a top-flight prospect for quite some time, and his star continues to rise.

According to 247Sports, the Hammond School standout is a 4-star prospect, the sixth-ranked combo guard in the 2016 class and the No. 41 overall recruit.

Lou Bezjak of the State reported that Woods' college choice came down to Georgetown, North Carolina or South Carolina.

Before deciding, Woods complimented both the Tar Heels and Gamecocks and explained his rationale. "Both fit my style of play and I think I can be successful at all the schools I am choosing from," he said. "It just comes down to where I fit in best or where I want to call home really."

While the Columbia, South Carolina, native is a bit on the small side at 6'1" and 175 pounds, he is extremely explosive and offensively gifted.

His speed and ability to finish set him apart from his peers, and they are likely the reasons why he has gained so much attention at such a young age.

He is so highly touted, in fact, that Team USA paid him a major compliment, per David Cloninger of the State:

Woods ultimately didn't make the United States U19 squad, but simply being asked to take part in the tryout indicates how talent evaluators feel about his potential as a player.

Eric Bossi of Rivals.com is among his many supporters, and he points to Woods' commitment to defense as one of his greatest attributes:

While Woods very much looks like the total package, he hasn't always been that way. According to Akilah Imani Nelson of the State, Hammond School head coach Mark McClam feels as though Woods has made significant strides as an on-court leader:

"

His leadership skills have grown, he's a lot more vocal on the court and he plays with a lot more outwardly positive emotion. 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 seemingly has every tangible and intangible that a coach could possibly ask for in a player, which is why there will be massive expectations for him to become a big-time star at the collegiate level.

Luckily for Woods, he has played under that type of pressure for essentially his entire life, which means he should be able to transition to college more easily than many of the other top prospects in the Class of 2016.

Provided he remains on his current trajectory and continues to develop as expected, it shouldn't take long for Woods to become a very well-known name in college basketball.

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