Woodlin's Work Ethic Pays Dividends for Golden Bears

By Rich Scarcella
Reading Eagle

Andre Woodlin helped lead Central High School to the Philadelphia Public League championship four years ago, but he felt like no one noticed.

While Scott Rodgers, Central's top scorer, signed to play at Drexel, Woodlin, the second-leading scorer, waited for phone calls from Division I and II coaches that did not come.

"It didn't seem like it was going to happen," Woodlin said. "I thought I was kind of stuck. I thought I would be paying my own way to go to college.

"Eric Worley, his AAU coach, reached out to him. Worley, a former player at West Chester, called Kutztown coach Bernie Driscoll, a former Golden Rams assistant, and told him about Woodlin.

"Coach, this kid can play," Worley told Driscoll.

Woodlin wound up signing with Kutztown, where he has helped the Golden Bears win back-to-back Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East titles for the first time in school history.

They will make their first appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament in 21 years when they face West Virginia State in an Atlantic Regional opener Saturday at noon in Erie.

"I told him before the year, 'Andre, Dave (Ben) and Steve (Dennis) are great players, but our chances of winning the (PSAC East) title runs through you,' " Driscoll said. "Andre's the glue."Woodlin arrived at KU as a player who did the little things, like guard, pass and rebound. He still does those, but he has made himself into an outstanding 3-point shooter.

Last Friday, he buried a 3-pointer against Slippery Rock in the PSAC semifinals to become the 20th member of the Bears' 1,000-point club, quite an achievement for someone who didn't score 500 points in high school.

He wouldn't crack a smile, not during a game. After it was over, though, his emotions won out in a corner of the locker room.

"I think I cried," he said. "It all hit me at once. All the time I put in. . . 'Wow, I did all that and it finally worked out for me. Hard work does pay off.'

"Coach Driscoll and Coach York (assistant coach Tom York) believed in me. They thought I could be better than what I was. That's all I wanted to do, be better than I was yesterday."

Woodlin needed his work ethic after he broke two bones in his leg two years ago at Clarion. Kutztown, 11-2 when he was injured and lost for the season, finished 17-11.

"He was important that year," Dennis said. "He would lock down the other team's best scorer. We thought we could win the PSAC East that year. With him gone, our whole defense slacked off. We started losing."

He rebounded by averaging 13.7 points a game last season and being named to the All-PSAC East second team. This season, he's the second-best 3-point shooter in the PSAC (44.1 percent) and scoring 14.6 points a game.

"I always had a chip on my shoulder," Woodlin said. "Everybody always told me I couldn't do it, even in high school. Even when I got here, I heard people saying that. It gave me more motivation."

"Andre's the hardest-working young man I've seen," Driscoll said. "He's in the gym all the time working on his game. He's not the most gifted athlete. He's not the fastest kid out there. He just has a huge heart."