Cleveland High School point guard JaCobi Wood dribbles during a Class AAA state sectional game against visiting Blackman in March.Cleveland point guard JaCobi Wood got plenty of attention as a junior this past season, when he averaged 19.5 points, five assists and 3.3 steals per game and helped his team earn 21 straight wins and a trip to the Class AAA state tournament.
He stood out to Blue Raiders coach Jason McCowan long before then, though - and not just on the basketball court.
"JaCobi has been a very high academic student and hard worker from day one," McCowan said. "He has great character and has made a strong image for himself. If you want to lead somebody, you have to be worth following. He has been that person."
Wood stepped closer to his dream of playing Division I basketball recently when he committed to Belmont, which has appeared in eight of the past 14 NCAA men's basketball tournaments.
All of those appearances came under Rick Byrd, who retired this spring after leading the Bruins for 33 seasons and posting more than 800 wins overall in his coaching career. Chattanooga native Casey Alexander has returned to his alma mater as its head coach, making a short move from one Nashville school - Lipscomb - to another.
"Coach Byrd left a great legacy for the team, and I know Coach Alexander will keep that winning tradition going," said Wood, who also had offers from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Canisius, Jacksonville State and James Madison. "Belmont has always been the top on my list. It was an opportunity I could not pass up on."
Blue Raiders assistant Reggie Tucker, who prepped at Cleveland before going on to play at LSU, has coached 52 Division I student-athletes. He believes Wood's talent is near the top of that group.
"JaCobi has checked all the boxes in every category," Tucker said. "He is a great leader on and off the court. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of his teammates. He has an elite scoring ability and works on being an elite defender, too. It's scary how good he can be if he stays focused and hungry."
Tucker compares the 6-foot-2 Wood to College of Charleston star Grant Riller, who is expected to be a first-round pick in next year's NBA draft, and former Cleveland standout and Wichita State guard D.J. Bowles.
Wood was a Best of Preps selection and a region tournament MVP this year. In his final high school season, he hopes to continue to improve and honor his older brother who died in late May.
"My brother Jay Mee is who drives me the most," Wood said. "Everything I do on the court is to make him proud.
"I will give my all on the court for him. He taught me to have a killer mindset every time I play. I want to win Mr. Basketball and bring home a state title."
Others are starting to notice what McCowan has known for a while.
"JaCobi can be one of the best ball handlers, scorers and defenders in the state," McCowan said. "He has a chance to finish with four straight district championships and two straight trips to the state tournament. Committing to Belmont will catch a lot of eyes, and his stats will, too."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.