Matt McCall just landed his first recruit as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s basketball coach.
Graduate assistant and Baylor School graduate Jordan Clark will get an assist.
Peyton Woods, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard at Wayne County High School in Kentucky, pledged to join the Mocs’ program for the 2015-16 season. He plans to sign Friday. He averaged 22.1 points and four rebounds his senior season.
Peyton WoodsHe will be the second Wayne County player to sign with the Mocs. David Phillips was the first, and he began his UTC career on the team that reached the Sweet 16 in 1997.
Woods was in town Sunday to work out with the coaching staff. It wasn’t his first time on campus, though: He had been recruited by the previous UTC coaching staff, namely head coach Will Wade and assistant Wes Long. Woods wasn’t ready to sign, though, choosing to wait until the season ended.
Clark directed McCall to some of Woods’ game video last week. Clark’s father Austin, the longtime Baylor School coach, was a teammate of Woods’ father, Rodney, at Tennessee.
The younger Woods ended his career ranked fourth in Kentucky prep history in 3-pointers made with 362. His career scoring total of 2,467 points ranks second in school history.
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” said the elder Woods, the Wayne County coach. “He shoots better than anyone I’ve ever had.”
Shooting prowess is the only thing Rodney would concede to his son, though — with reason. He ranks third in Volunteers history in assists with 525 and still has the program’s single-season record of 227 during the 1974-75 season.
“I’m just relieved this process is over,” Peyton said. “I’m really excited about Chattanooga; I think Coach McCall will do a great job. I talked with a lot of schools, and I was never as pleased as I was with him.
“There are a lot of juniors and seniors on the roster, and although I know it’ll be difficult to get playing time as a freshman, I’m confident I could do that.”
Coach Woods said McCall’s vision for the shooter was to be similar to former Florida standout Lee Humphrey, who holds the Gators record for 3s made in a career with 288.
“I know how hard Peyton works, and I know what he wants to do,” Rodney said. “He will come to work every day and work until practice is over. I’m very excited for him.”
With Woods’ pledge, the Mocs currently have no remaining scholarships for next season.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.