Basketball recruits ready for transition

When Cynthia Woodyard stepped into the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time on Feb. 2, she was overwhelmed by what she saw.

She was inside a huge arena, with thousands of deafeningly loud Penn State students and alumni awaiting a soon-to-be epic battle with No. 8 Michigan State. She turned to her son Cammeron, a high school senior being recruited by the Nittany Lions to play guard, and asked him what he thought of the scene.

“You think you can play here?” she said to him. “Look at all these people.”

Cammeron didn’t hesitate. He was hooked.

“Mom, this is what gets my adrenaline going,” he said to her.

A few weeks later, Woodyard, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Westminster, Md., verbally committed to Penn State, thanks in part to witnessing a colossal upset and a memorable court storming on his visit to State College.

On April 16, Woodyard and fellow 6-foot-5 guard Chris Babb, of Arlington, Texas, signed National Letters of Intent with Penn State, finalizing their long journey in the recruiting process.

“I’m glad it’s over now,” Babb said. “There was a lot of stress on me the last few weeks before I signed.”

Babb and Woodyard will come to Penn State in the beginning of July. They will bring much-needed height to an undersized guard lineup that was anchored by 5-foot-11 Talor Battle and 6-foot-1 Stanley Pringle last year.

Next year’s batch of newcomers has already had a chance to interact with each other, as well as the group of freshmen who reenergized the Nittany Lions this past season. According to Mike Babb, Chris’ father, Woodyard looked up Chris on facebook.com after signing day and the two exchanged congratulations. Babb’s choice of Penn State was made much easier by the relationship he built with players during his visit to campus.

“I built a good relationship with Jeff Brooks, Talor Battle and Steve Kirkpatrick,” he said. “They were just acting like I was one of their friends.”

Mike Babb helped his son through the recruiting period, speaking with coaches for him and helping to find the school that would be the best fit for Chris.

For many weeks, especially as the late signing period approached, Chris would get calls requesting that he work out after school for a number of college coaches. It was all part of the process. Now that his decision is made, Chris can focus on finishing up high school, which ends in a week.

Mike Babb could see how the overlapping basketball and recruiting seasons were a mental and physical drain on Chris. When he finally decided on Penn State, it was the week before spring break. For the following three days, Chris just laid in bed.

“It’s been a long process but when it’s all said and done we knew he was at peace with it,” Mike said. “After making his decision you could just see the relief. As a parent, that’s when you know he made the right decision.”

Babb and Woodyard will have to make the difficult transition from high school stars to Big Ten freshmen. Bruce Woodyard, Cammeron’s father, said that his son has always been very low-key, even after committing to play Division I collegiate basketball. When next season arrives, though, he will be thrust into the national spotlight.

Cammeron understands how much higher the stakes are.

“The more people, the better,” he said. “The more excitement, the better I play. Playing at Penn State is a big deal every game.”

Mike Babb said his son has remained very humble during his senior year. Chris said that he doesn’t get caught up in any of the hype, even when people are asking for his autograph.

As far as he’s concerned, he hasn’t accomplished anything yet.

“I’m a big name around Dallas-Forth Worth, but once I get to college I’m just another freshman,” Babb said.

That chapter will begin this summer, when he and Woodyard arrive on campus and begin to prepare for the upcoming season.

For now, though, they are just letting everything sink in.