Tre Wood discusses his commitment to UMass & this coming season.
Tre Wood, 6’1″, 2018 PG, St. Johns Cadets HS. Washington, DC. Grassroots Team: Team Takeover
On Friday October 6, 2017 Tre Wood committed to the University of Massachusetts Minuteman who play in the Atlantic 10 Athletic Conference. Tre had a final 3 list of: Towson State, George Mason & UMass. Power 5 high majors were showing some serious interest recently, but Tre said,” UMass made me their #1 priority the last 3 months & a close bond was formed. We have a new staff under 1st year Head Coach Matt McCall & I feel we can learn & grow together. UMass will run an up tempo ball motion offense, with the pick & roll which makes me a perfect fit.”Coach McCall comes to UMass after 2 very successful seasons at The University Tennessee Chattanooga & in 2015/16 led UTC to 29 wins & conference title with an NCCA bid. We know Tre very well & we (I) believed Tre is primed for big year & high major D1 offers would have come, but Tre adds, “I do not want second choice offers. At UMass I have the opportunity to become an impact player. My new school is only 40 minutes by plane & we play in the A-10 where George Washington & George Mason are located in the DMV, while LaSalle, St. Joseph are in Philadelphia. My family can see a lot of my games. I am very excited to play of UMass next season. I am very, very focused for this season at SJC where we have a great team.” We think UMass is a great fit for Tre & are very happy & proud of Tre for his progress at SJC on & off he court. We are very confident Tre will have great career at UMass, & will follow his career & attend some his games. However, Tre has some business to address this season at St. Johns we think the Cadets are loaded & ready for a fantastic season.
Last season Tre played as an explosive pass first PG, great facilitator, tough defender with the ability to score from all 3 levels in bunches. Tre had an excellent season averaging 11 points, 5.8 assists & 3.5 steals per game leading SJC to a 25-10 record. The Cadets surprised many people in the DMV last season, but not the SJC players & staff. The Cadets graduated All Met Player of the Year Anthony Cowan to the University of Maryland where he started as a true freshmen and WG Jeffery Dowtin to Rhode Island where he saw substantial playing time. In 2016/17 SJC played a loaded schedule defeating Woodrow Wilson (DC, DCIAA Champions, DC State runner up & a #3 final ranking), WT Woodson (VA 6A State Champion), Gonzaga (WCAC Champions, DC State Champions & Alhambra ACIT Champions & ranked #8 in the nation), DeMatha Catholic (WCAC), Providence Day (NC), Paul VI (nationally ranked most of the season), St. Mary Ryken (WCAC) and Bishop O’Connell (WCAC). The Cadets finished the year with a very impressive 13-4 WCAC record & only non DMV loss was to Foothills Christian HS (CA) in the UA Holiday title game 61-57.
This spring & summer Tre had great success in the DeMatha BSN Summer League in which SJC won the championship. Tre & Casey Morsell were named to the All Summer League All Star teams, while 6’7″ senior & US Naval Academy commit Richard Njoku & junior sharpshooter Devon Dunn made honorable mention. Tre was a key player for Team Takeover 17U who won the FAB 48 Nationals in Las Vegas & finished 2nd in the 17U national grassroots rankings.
Over the course of the spring & summer thru the current Tre says he has made improvements in certain aspects of his game & adds, This summer I trained with my Uncle Clinton Couch on all aspects of basketball & strength & conditioning. “My jump shot is better. I made some adjustments on my off hand to control the ball better on my release. My range is out to the college 3 point line & I am knocking down 3s on a more consistent basis. My leadership is better. At times I would lose focus if the game was not going well. I must be a leader 100% of the the time, 100% of the time. Since I am now working out at SJC I put up 500 shots per day when I use the shouting gun at SJC. Coach Matt Smith has helped me with squat dead lifts & other leg strengthening exercises in addition to overall S&C work. We are doing Hot Yoga on Saturday morning at SJC & it really works helping my flexibility & explosion. Coach Behan wants me to finish better when I attack the rim against bigs & I am working hard on this area.”
On the court Tre is very dynamic possessing great speed, quickness, acceleration & explosion. He could be the most explosive & fastest player coast to coast in the DC/DMV. Bishop O’Connell PG Xavier Johnson & Team Takeover teammate is very close competition, & in our opinion the TTO duo win the nomination this pre season. Stay tuned for a new series coming out on Prep Hoops in 2 1/2 weeks called, Lighting Bolts, where we name the quickest & most explosive players in the DMV. In addition to being a speed merchant Tre is a superb floor general who plays excellent defense. He has the potential to have a big scoring night every time out & most importantly Tre is a winner. He will start @ PG this season & once again pair with 6’3.5″ 2019 CG Casey Morsell to form one of the top 5 back-courts in the DC/DMV with a very good chance to win the award at the end of the year. In our 2017/18 breakdown for SJC, we (I) wrote that the the SJC Cadets, Gonzaga, DeMatha & Paul VI each have chance to be ranked in the top 25 nationally. The WCAC is 6 deep & perhaps deeper with St. Mary Ryken & Bishop O’Connell possessing top 10 DMV potential & the ability to knock off any WCAC Team. Archbishop Carroll is much improved & dangerous, Our lady of Good Counsel & Bishop Ireton are improved & very solid, while Bishop McNamara is rebuilding after losing 3 nationally ranked players to Prep Schools. The WCAC will once again be the best High School Basketball Conference in the nation. Tre sets his goals high & in our opinion could be reached, ” We want to win the WCAC regular season & Tournament Title, Washington, DC State Championships, & Alhambra ACIT Championship this season. We have the Coaching, chemistry & players to attain our goals. We know it will not be easy, but SJC will be ready every game & play our best & hardest.”
In the DC/DMV Tre possesses one of the best handles. He can beat full court pressure with his elite on ball speed & quickness alone. His handle is compact & tight. In full court transition Tre is a blur & excellent at getting a basket for a teammate or himself. What separates Tre from other PGs is his ability to explode in & out of cuts or from close to a standstill. Tre gets in top gear immediately with elite burts & he could be one of the fastest & quickest 94 feet end to end players in the nation. We watched Tre this past week at SJC & he is in superb condition. He converted a dribble off the floor bounce dunk with his head near rim level with several D1 Coaches in attendance. It was amazing & please see the 1st video below. In open transition, Tre showed blazing speed, & explosion, better than earlier this summer which was outstanding & now mind boggling. Tre owns a very deep & superb ball handling arsenal. He is an expert at freezing his defenders for blow byes, assists & pull ups. His simple hesitation & go, hesitation crossover & in & out crossovers are unstoppable. Tre can use a series of handling moves to break down defenders. He uses a perfected behind the back step back where Tre can go straight up for a shot or go into a crossover, then a spin to get to the rim. Tre has a very high IQ & court vision which Tre puts to great use with his fantastic facilitation skills. We have seen Tre convert on every possible pass with pin point precision. He sees plays before they develop & using his great quickness very few players can make the plays Tre executes. His playing style reminds us of John Wall from our hometown Washington Wizards. We believe Tre will thrive under Coach Behan who is one of the best up & coming Coaches in the DMV. They have known each other since Tre was in middle school & will continue their close relationship.
Tre will have some big scoring nights this season, but they will be within the team concept. What we love about Tre is how little time it takes for him to read the defense & make is his move. He can pull up on a dime to hit a 3 or mid range shot on an instant. Tre has a very quick release with excellent elevation on his jumper. We have always liked his shot mechanics which are now more consistent with his off hand adjustment. Tre can shoot from the right, left or up the middle off the dribble & convert shots from any location on the floor. In transition & now the half court Tre is a threat to flush down an authoritative dunk or finish thru contact. In summary, Tre can score from any conceivable manner & he has become excellent at picking his opportunities. This summer Casey Morsell proved he can run the point which will allow Tre to play off the ball in some sets.This gives SJC even more diversity to their 10 plus deep talented roster.
Defense is another area in which Tre excels. He plays very tough tough on ball defense the enitre 94 feet, with great footwork & lateral movement. He beats his opponents to their destination & keeps them in front. In every game Tre is good for 3 plus steals per outing & collecting rebounds. He has great instincts & reactions to the ball. Tre performs all the intangibles with his tough & hard nosed style of play. He gets the 50/50 balls, sets picks, makes the extra pass, energizes SJC, blocks shots, goes in traffic & most importantly Tre is a full time leader & winner. He gets IT & has now added the IT factor to his game.
At age 14 & 15 Tre began to work as a volunteer at the Largo Kettering Perrywood Community Center helping give guidance to the youngsters & giving back to his community. Tre became a Staff member at 16 working at the Largo Community Center where he continued to mentor & tutor the youth in the community. He helped the young men & young ladies by teaching them structure, setting goals, & priorities. The youth look up Tre & he finds the work very rewarding by making a difference in the Largo & Upper Marlboro communities. He is a great student at SJC maintaining a 3.2 GPA. His commute to Military Road & SJC from Upper Malboro can take an hour or more. Tre says, “I do not have much free time, and I must be structured & regimented to succeed in the classroom with & on the court.” It is no wonder that the young ones look up to Tre as a role model. After a hectic summer which concluded in late July, Tre worked full time at the Largo Tre Wood Community Center until the youngsters had to get ready to begin school. In late mid August Tre began working working out at St. Johns thru the present.
St. Johns will open their season December 2 in the DC / Baltimore cash at UMBC in Catonsville, MD. The tournament will feature 4 games with the DC/ DMV being composed of 4 WCAC teams & Baltimore DMV teams coming from the BCL conference. St. Johns will play powerful Mt. St. Joseph. Prep Hoops will be proving in depth coverage for each game with live game reports & player articles. In December St, Johns will play in the prestigious Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament in Lewes, Delaware & in the Burger King Classic. This season we will be covering St. Johns, Tre & the WCAC with great emphasis.
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