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Jeremiah Wood 11/21/2008 Date of Birth 01/25/1985 (dd-mm-yy) Euro Non Positions 4 Place of Birth Akron, Ohio Videotape Yes Height (cm) 200 ( = 6- 6 1/2 ft ) Country of Birth United States Weight (kg) 110 ( = 242 lbs ) Nationality USA University Akron 2008 NBA draft One of the top players in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and one of the best combo forwards in college basketball, Jeremiah Wood has started and starred for four seasons for the Akron University Zips. The 6’6 (2.00m), 242-pound (110kg) forward, has the ability to score from all over the floor. He was very effective in the MAC, scoring with his back to the basket, but he is equally as dangerous as a face-up player, with range to the 3-point arc. Jeremiah led the Zips in scoring (14.1 points per game) and rebounding (7.7 boards per game) this season. He had 18 “double-doubles” in his career at Akron, including six in his senior campaign. Wood, who has explosive leaping ability, is also blessed with an unusually long 7-foot (2.13m) wingspan. He is a very hard worker, on and off the court, and is known as a monster in the weight room (his normal workout has him maxing out at 320-pounds). In a workout, Wood has lifted 185-pounds (the NBA Pre-Draft Camp standard) a maximum of 25 times; for his size, Jeremiah Wood is extremely strong. He is most known for being a strong rebounder (he was the team’s leading rebounder in the majority of games he played at Akron), often outplaying taller match-ups with his long wingspan, jumping ability, fundamentals and desire for the basketball. He was the team’s leading rebounder in 65 of the 101 games he played for Akron. Jeremiah had a career best of 17 rebounds in a game (against Western Michigan in the 2006-07 campaign) and his best effort on the boards as a senior was 15 caroms against North Carolina A&T. Had 23 games in his Akron career with double-digit rebounds. Wood possesses a strong basketball body with chiseled muscles and he’s got a bigger motor, as he is known for making hustle plays. Jeremiah scored over 1,000 points (1,151) and had over 750 rebounds (777) in his career at Akron. Those totals placed him in the Akron school record book, putting him 26th in career points and 10th in career rebounds. And, if he is not rebounding the ball, he also runs transition well, and he’s a dynamic finisher on the break. Not a selfish player, he also contributes with his passing (his 2.5 assists per game was second highest on the Zips). Jeremiah has always had good shot selection, evidenced by his field goal percentage which never was lower than 50% from the field (he had a high of 58.1% as a freshman). Though he did not shoot any 3-pointers in his first two years as a collegian, Jeremiah, who always had a soft touch on his mid-range shots, added to this element of his game in his last two seasons at Akron. Wood has added range to his jumper, shooting 40% from behind the 3-point arc as a junior (2-5); he shot an incredible 66.7% as this past season (6-9)… a whopping 57% for his career. He was just named an All-Conference selection for his efforts during this senior year. Wood has been honored as Conference Player of the Week and he finished his Akron career with a 25-points, 6-rebound nationally televised ESPN performance against UMass in a second round 68-63 loss in the post-season NIT (National Invitation Tournament). Wood is a unique player, able to outplay taller players in the post with his quickness, athleticism, technique and tenacity, but also being able to excel on the perimeter with his athleticism, ballhandling and shooting skills. He’s also able to defend in the post and on the perimeter, equally well. With all his various attributes, Jeremiah Wood is simply a talented player, who loves to play the game. He’s had his share of injuries at Akron (including an ACL injury early in his college career, which forced him to sit out for 22 months of rehabilitation, causing him to redshirt the 2005-06 season), but he’s shown tremendous character in overcoming these obstacles. This past season, he played through tremendous pain (scar tissue getting lodged in his knee) for several games, before undergoing minor surgery to clean up the scar tissue). He only missed four games in February (two weeks) after the surgery, because he worked so hard to rehabilitate the knee (over 4 hours daily of therapy). And, once he came back, he was playing as good as ever. Now, healthy and with a strong college career over, he looks to new challenges on the professional level. Season Team League G mpg ppg rpg ast st to bs FG% FT% 3P% 08/09 Kataja   FIN 1 6 38 23.8 13.2 3.5 2.0 1.7 0.3 52.6 46.3 47.1 07/08 Akron   NCAA 1 31 29 14.1 7.7 2.5 1.2 2.9 0.5 50.5 57.0 66.7