Edmond Memorial point guard Jordan Woodard commits to Oklahoma

From the time he became Oklahoma’s basketball coach 16 months ago, Lon Kruger has emphasized the recruiting of in-state talent.

That focus paid off Thursday, with the Sooners receiving a verbal commitment from one of the state’s top prospects, Edmond Memorial point guard Jordan Woodard.

Woodard made his decision official live on NewsOK.com Thursday evening.

He was an early target of Kruger’s staff, which extended an offer a year ago. Stanford, Memphis and San Francisco were also in the picture, and many other schools showed interest, but Woodard decided to stay close to home.

“Oklahoma is getting a kid who knows how to win, which is definitely a valuable skill,” Edmond Memorial coach Shane Cowherd said. “He loves the struggle of competition. He embraces it, absolutely thrives in competition, and you have to have that at the collegiate level.”

Woodard averaged 13.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals as a junior as he and brother James Woodard led the Bulldogs to the Class 6A state finals, losing to Tulsa Union. Woodard was the starting point guard on Edmond Memorial’s state title team in 2011 as well.

“Jordan is a tremendous team guy,” Cowherd said. “The role I asked him to play the last two years is not the role he’ll be asked to fill this year. People will see a different kid than the Jordan Woodard they watched the last two years.

“He’s willing to do what the coach and the team require of him. He’ll accept the role that best helps the team win, and I think that embodies everything coach Kruger believes in.”