Gamecocks guard Seventh Woods enters transfer portal, again

South Carolina guard Seventh Woods has entered the transfer portal, according to a USC spokesperson.

The news was first reported by AL.com’s Matt Zenitz.

After sitting out a season following his transfer from North Carolina, Woods debuted for the Gamecocks in 2020-21 and started 13 games at point guard for Frank Martin’s team before tearing his groin in the team’s final regular season game at Kentucky.

Woods met with Martin in late April and again in May to discuss his status with the team and his rehab from that injury. The NCAA grants all seniors an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19.

“He’s actually as healthy as he’s been,” Martin told SportsTalkSC.com “He’s still not doing anything on the court. He and I visited ... and we agreed that we’ll visit here sometime in the middle of May and figure out. There’s no rush with him. He’s getting his degree.”

A Columbia native and a local star at the Hammond School, Woods has had a topsy-turvy journey during his brief stint with his hometown Gamecocks. Last summer, Woods overexerted himself in the team’s very first weightlifting session and wound up in the hospital for days with a case of rhabdomyolysis, a condition that can cause severe kidney damage or even death if not treated quickly.

“That was probably the toughest thing I’ve dealt with in my life,” Woods said in the fall.

Woods tweaked his knee in just the second game of the season, on the road at Tulsa, limiting his minutes early in the year. In the team’s final game of the regular season at Kentucky, Woods tore his groin in the first half.

“That injury was really severe,” Martin said after the season. “Like, his groin tear, it actually detached from the bone. So he’s trying to get himself healthy before making the decision. Obviously, he’s been in college for five years. He’d much rather try to pursue a professional career, but he’s not in a place to make that decision.”