An estimated half-million boys play high school basketball, but few play it as well as Robert Woodard II.
On June 10, the Columbus teen, who just completed his freshman year at Columbus High School, will join 11 other players under the age of 16 as it opens play in the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.
When he learned he had been chosen to the elite group of players, Woodard was predictably modest, calling it an “honor” and talking about the hard work required for a successful tournament.
Chances are he has yet to grasp the magnitude of his achievement.
The U16 FIBA championships, contested every other year, have been around since only 2009, but a peek on the previous rosters of those U16 teams reveals a long list of college all-Americans and NBA lottery picks, household names such as Bradley Beal, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, Jabari Parker and James McAdoo.
If you wanted to compile a list of people likely to be millionaires before they reach age 20, this roster would be source material.
It’s heady stuff, this rare company Robert Woodard II has joined. Over the next few years, he will be scrutinized and analyzed to a degree the typical teen could never imagine. Top college basketball programs in the country will focus their attention on Woodard. Recruiting experts and fans throughout the country will scrutinize his play. Among basketball fans in every corner of the country, Robert Woodard II very likely will be a household name.
It is an honor and a burden. Fame has its privileges, but it also has its costs and there have been many who have wilted under so bright a spotlight.
In Woodard’s case, we are confident he is well-prepared for the fame that has arrived on his doorstep. He has the support of parents, Robert and Velma, who have instilled in their son a commitment to hard work and humility that will serve him well as he meets the challenges that await.
Woodard has excelled not only on the court, but in the classroom, where he has been a member of the Beta Club (reserved for A and B students) for two years. He plays baseball, likes to ride his horse, dove-hunts with his father and spends time with his family. It is the portrait of a young man who is grounded and focused, a great kid.
The people of Columbus will look forward to watching one of our own as he ascends through the ranks of the nation’s elite high-school athletes.
It’s fun to root for a great player.
It’s even more fun when that great player is a great kid, too.
We couldn’t be prouder.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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