Chris Woodard showcases resilience and excellence for Elmira boys basketball team

Elmira High School senior Chris Woodard has a sizable list of attributes.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound forward is strong, has excellent footwork, a creative array of moves in the paint, a soft shooting touch, aggressively pursues rebounds and plays within the framework of what's best for the team.

Not surprisingly for someone who chased down quarterbacks as a defensive end, perhaps the most impressive of Woodard's qualities is his determination. He has twice bounced back from significant leg injuries, including one suffered last spring that initially had him wondering if he'd put on an Express uniform again.

As he narrows college options, Woodard's current athletic focus is helping Elmira make a deep run in the Class AAA boys basketball state tournament. He had 19 points and nine rebounds in last year's victory over Corning in the sectional final, then notched 13 points and nine rebounds as the Express fell just short, 50-49, against Newburgh in a regional semifinal.

"I want to go to states," Woodard said. "I feel like we should have won that regional game last year. I feel like we need to go to states. That’s the main goal."

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All-state talent and attitude

Woodard, 17, is doing his part to make another championship happen.

His farewell prep season has seen him average better than 17 points per game while leading Elmira to an 8-5 record in its bid for back-to-back Section 4 titles and a Southern Tier Athletic Conference West Division championship. The offensive output, impressive as it may be, is slightly misleading because of a pair of low-scoring games in lopsided Express victories.

Woodard comes off a junior season in which he averaged 16.2 points and 10 rebounds while earning 12th-team all-state honors in the highest classification in New York.

Perhaps as important as the skill is the will. First-year Express boys basketball coach Toby Foster said Woodard is a sponge when it comes to soaking up instructions and commends Woodard's ability to stay even-keeled.

"That's what I admire the most, that he's the same person every day," Foster said. "He doesn't get too high, doesn't get too low.

"He's been a joy and a treat to coach."

Woodard said he has become a more patient player as he has gotten older and is a better shooter, with time on the shooting machine Elmira added last school year paying dividends.

The praise is universal from his coaches. Ryan Johnson, who previously coached Woodard with the Express basketball team, last year described him as "a great young man." Elmira football coach Jimmy McCauley characterized Woodard as a hard worker who loves competing.

When asked what has stood out about his time playing at Elmira, Woodard responded, "The coaches I've met. They've helped me a lot, with my post game mostly. Transitioning over from playing a wing to playing a big."

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2 comebacks from injuries

Woodard, son of Chris Woodard Sr. and Toni Simpson, has faced his share of challenges on the way to becoming one of the best players in Express hoops history.

During his freshman year, he suffered a broken tibia (shin) while playing for Elmira's junior varsity. He ended up playing a game and a half in a season delayed and shortened because of the pandemic.

After two strong varsity seasons as a sophomore and junior, Woodard suffered the same injury last spring while playing for the El-Town Elite Amateur Athletic Union team.

"I don't really know what happened," said Woodard, who is third in age among six siblings in his family. "Some people say I slipped, but I didn't feel like I slipped. I just tried to go up and it broke again. It had to do with something from the first surgery.

"I was upset at first. I felt like I wasn't going to be able to play sports anymore and then when I started rehab and started getting back into it, that's when I picked it back up."

Woodard sat out Elmira's first two football games and saw limited snaps in Week 3 against Waverly before returning for extended action in Elmira's 8-3 win over Horseheads.

The returns of Woodard and other injured players helped propel the Express to the Section 4 Class AA title.

A football force

Woodard finished with more than 20 tackles, including 1 1/2 sacks and four tackles for loss. He also made an impact as a blocker and receiver at tight end. He said he did a lot of running keeping up with ball carriers, adding football helped get his speed back in time for basketball season.

When asked why he decided to return to the physical grind of football, Woodard said, "It was my senior year and I felt like we had a good chance to win and we ended up winning."

Woodard recently made a football visit to John Carroll University and has shown the tools to play at the college level.

"He has size and athleticism that is rarely seen," McCauley said. "Has great hands and is incredibly intelligent."

Hoops or football?

Woodard is a throwback when it comes to hoops. He is a shot blocker, tenacious rebounder and scores most of his points in the paint.

His pump fake is effective and Foster praised Woodard's one-dribble spin move in the opposite direction that often produces two points. Defense is a priority. Woodard said Elmira's defensive improvement last season was key to the sectional title and said defense will again tell the tale if the Express is to go back-to-back.

Some of Woodard's best games have come against foes with tall, athletic bigs. He had 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting against Rochester's Bishop Kearney at this season's Josh Palmer Fund Clarion Inn Classic at Elmira. The day before, he put up 23 points in a 69-62 victory over Greater Latrobe, a Pittsburgh-area school.

For someone who enjoys hitting in football, it's no surprise Woodard relishes the physical side of hoops.

"Most athletic people, they're really skinny," Woodard said. "I can just bully them most of the time. But when they're in there dunking, it doesn't phase me. If you can dunk, so what?"

Basketball is the preferred sport of Woodard, followed by football. He plans to wait until the end of the basketball season before deciding on a college route.

"I'm looking for anybody that's willing to accept me," he said. "I just want to play, but at a high level. I'm not trying to play at a level where I score 30, 20 points a game and it's easy for me. I don't want that."

Foster, one of the top basketball players in Section 4 history, said whichever college he chooses is going to have a strong addition to the roster.

"Whoever gets him to play college basketball, if he chooses to play college basketball or college football or whatever he decides he wants to do, they’re going to get a great kid, a hard worker and a kid that plays bigger than he actually is," Foster said.

"People get scared because he’s only 6-3, but he can score against kids 6-6, 6-7, 6-8. He’s got the right type of body, he’s got the footwork, he knows how to finish around the rim."

Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira's Chris Woodard has overcome obstacles to excel in two sports