Kentucky Basketball: Why Tony Woods May Deserve a Second Chance

Tony Woods, the ex-Wake Forest basketball player, has been a hot topic of discussion in the Bluegrass State as of late, due mainly to the possibility of him being the newest addition to John Calipari's 2011 recruiting class.

The 6'10" Woods was originally ranked as the No. 20 overall prospect coming out of high school in 2008, and the No. 3 center according to Rivals.com. He signed with Wake Forest as a part of a recruiting class that included the No. 8 overall selection in last year's draft, Al-Farouq Aminu.

Woods served primarily as a bench player in his first two seasons at Wake Forest before leaving the school after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge in connection with a September dispute with his girlfriend.

Woods committed to Louisville in November mainly because of his relationship with Cardinals assistant coach Tim Fuller, who had also played for Wake Forest. However, with the news of Fuller's departure for Missouri, Woods decided to re-open his recruitment in April.

Kentucky had originally shown interest in Woods before his commitment to Louisville, and the Wildcats coaching staff still appears to be very intrigued by the prospect of him playing in Lexington next season.

Woods made an unofficial visit to Kentucky less than two weeks ago and is expected to visit Texas sometime in the near future.

The news that Woods may be residing in Lexington next season has been met with much chagrin from both fans and the media.

Many Wildcats fans made Woods the butt of their jokes when he originally committed to Louisville because of his character concerns. Now, they are having a difficult time backing off their original judgments.

Woods' incident with his girlfriend is certainly a cause for concern, but the UK administration was willing to give him a chance to explain himself.

Woods met with UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart and president Lee Todd while on his visit in order to explain his situation.

He was also apologetic in his November explanation to the Courier Journal.

"One reason I pleaded guilty is because one thing not really published in any newspapers that actually took place was I was holding my son during this whole incident," Woods explained. "That's why it took place. She took an action, and I reacted poorly and I pushed her."

Should the UK staff be willing to offer him a scholarship, Woods would be eligible to play this fall alongside Coach Calipari's third consecutive No. 1 recruiting class as well as in the 2012-2013 season.

If the Kentucky coaching staff and administration deem him worthy of receiving a scholarship, the best bet is to trust their better judgment. After all, they are the ones who have taken the time to get to know him and assess his character. Most fans and media talking heads cannot say the same.

Furthermore, Woods would fill a need on next year's team.

Although the Wildcats will be blessed with a plethora of talent next season, they still have an area of need down low with the departure of senior Josh Harrellson. Eloy Vargas represents the team's only true post presence off the bench, so a player like Woods, who can defend down low and rebound, would be a welcomed addition likely to see a good deal of minutes.

He struggled a bit on the court in his stint with Wake Forest, but if Calipari can transform the former afterthought Harrellson into a potential first-round draft pick, it would be intriguing to see what he could do with the former No. 3 center coming out of high school.

Woods' assault incident will always signify a red flag in the eyes of media and fans, but if the Kentucky administration believes that he has learned from his mistakes and Coach Calipari is willing to embrace coaching him, who can really argue against them?

For more news and analysis on all things UK, follow me @KYSportsBuzz.