When it was announced last week that 6-foot-10 center Dominic Woodson would be leaving the Memphis program, one report broached the possibility of the Huntington Prep product attending junior college for a year and then rejoining Josh Pastner’s program. However that’s unlikely to happen, with multiple outlets reporting on Wednesday that Woodson has enrolled at Tennessee.
Murmurs of Woodson joining Donnie Tyndall’s program began Wednesday afternoon, with a picture of a Dominic Woodson in the school database for the upcoming semester being sent out on Twitter. However with there being no photo, there was no guarantee that this was indeed the same person who played at Memphis last year.
Ultimately Woodson’s enrollment was confirmed, with Woodson expected to be in classes when they begin on Thursday. On Friday, the school announced that Woodson has enrolled and is now an official member of the basketball program.
“Dominic certainly adds some physicality and size to our frontline,” Tyndall said in the release. “He has great upside. If he continues to improve his body and conditioning, he’ll have a chance to be a very good player at this level.”
Another issue regarding Woodson is the question of whether or not he would be able to receive an immediate eligibility waiver. If that were to occur, Woodson (2.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg as a freshman at Memphis) would give the Volunteers a needed boost with regards to both depth and size in the front court. Tennessee was hoping that FGCU transfer Eric McKnight would receive a graduate waiver but the SEC denied their request, leaving Tyndall and his staff in need of another body in the front court.
But while Woodson was regarded as a Top 100 talent coming out of high school, there were maturity issues that stunted his on-court development while at Memphis. Pastner suspended Woodson for three games last season due to the player’s frequent use of foul language, and he also remained on campus during the NCAA tournament instead of traveling to Raleigh with the team.
If Woodson steps onto the floor with a solid attitude and in good physical condition, he can help Tennessee inside. The question is whether or not his departure from Memphis provides Woodson with the motivational boost needed to take that step.
