JaCobi Wood / Staff file photoNASHVILLE, Tenn. – Late in the first half of Belmont’s 76-68 win over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga last week at the Curb Event Center, sophomore guard JaCobi Wood grabbed an offensive rebound and attacked the basket before flipping a no-look pass to senior center Nick Muszynski for a dunk that put the Bruins up 16.
The Mocs called timeout, while a smiling Wood skipped up the court and celebrated with his teammates.
At that moment, it seemed that the offseason, one marred with an ankle injury that slowed the former Cleveland standout guard and 2020 Mr. Basketball winner, was a thing of the past.
“I’m having fun,” he said after scoring five points and handing out four assists in the UTC win. “Just getting back healthy, really getting back to 100%, just doing all I can to be better defensively, offensively, efficiency and everything. Just getting better one notch every year is my main goal.”
Wood was one of the top freshmen guards in the country last season, averaging 11.3 points per game and scoring in double figures in 20 of the Bruins’ 30 games. There have been some struggles as he’s worked his way back from the offseason injury, but he’s still averaging 5.8 points per game for the 10-3 Bruins – ranked sixth in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll – and has topped double figures on a pair of occasions off the bench.