Recruiting Report: Jordan Wooden (2020)
It isn’t always easy being the younger brother to a hoops star, I would know as my brother was much better than I was as a player. Since he was three years older than me, I never got the opportunity to play with him at the high school level.
For the Wooden brothers out of Northside in Roanoke, they not only got to experience that, they also got the joy of winning a state championship together last year when Northside beat Phoebus in the Siegel Center to capture the VHSL Class 3 championship, led by player of the year Julien Wooden, Jordan’s older brother who was recently named CAA Rookie of the Week in just his second week at JMU.
It’s an experience the younger Wooden said is something that he’ll never forget, and he wouldn’t want it to happen any other way.
“It was a great experience,” Wooden said. “It felt good getting one for my coach when it’s been 33 years in the making, and getting to do it with my brother was the best part of the whole thing. One of the greatest experiences ever.”
With his brother gone along with their second leading scorer Kasey Draper who’s now at Roanoke College, it will be Jordan’s turn to be the big man on campus and the go-to guy for Northside this year. Like his brother, the 6’2” Wooden will move from the wing to the point guard position his senior year and will have the ball in his hands to make plays for others.
The improvement of Wooden is something that has been fun to watch, and it was on display in the state championship game where he made a number of winning plays to help them. He has a nice blend of athleticism and ball skills, as he can shoot it from deep, finish in the paint and make plays for others.
Even with the departure of two of the best players in recent history at Northside, Wooden is up to the challenge to step up and show that his team is ready to make another run this year.
“The plan moving on is simple, we want to get back to Richmond this year and play college ball after this year.”
Wooden is well on his way to fulfilling that goal as coaches from multiple levels have started to come in and recruit him. He holds an offer from D2 Concord in West Virginia, and says that he’s heard a good amount from JMU, Longwood, Drexel and Queens University in Charlotte. Now that he has the opportunity to be the go-to guy and showcase his skill set, there’s a good chance that he’ll see more college interest his senior year as well.
As far as why college coaches should recruit him, he made it as clear cut as possible.
“I would tell coaches I will be the hardest working kid on the court from day one, each and every day.”
One of the most underrated players in the state, Wooden is set to turn a lot of heads this year and show that there’s more than one Wooden brother that can ball. Be sure to check out Wooden and the rest of the Vikings this year.