Woodard ready for Georgetown—except for the wardrobe

Posted Nov 14, 2012 by Bill Ward

Updated Nov 14, 2012 at 10:19 PM

As she prepared to sign her National Letter of Intent on Wednesday afternoon, Freedom senior Faith Woodard was a mix of relieved, excited, happy and worried about heading to Georgetown University next year on a scholarship.

No, she’s not worried about the school or her ability to play for the storied basketball program of Georgetown. What she was concerned about was not having the right clothes—winter gear—for living in the nation’s capital.

‘‘My whole wardrobe is going to have to change,’’ said the 6-foot-2 Woodard. ‘‘This is Washington, D.C., not Florida any more. It was so cold up there (on her official visit). Oh my gosh, that’s going to take some getting used to.’‘

Fortunately, her sport is played indoors. There, Woodard, the Tampa Tribune’s two-time Female Athlete of the Year, has excelled as a high school basketball player. Last season at Riverview, Woodard was the Sharks’ top scorer and rebounder with 21 points and 11 boards per game. And when she was done with hoops, she went out to the track and won a Class 4A state title in the high jump at 5 feet, 8 inches. She also earned a medal at the state finals in the 400-meter dash, taking sixth place in 56.74 seconds.

At Freedom, Woodard expects her squad to be among the county’s best this year—maybe even make a deep run into the playoffs. But Wednesday was all about family and her future at Georgetown. Joining her at the signing ceremony were her parents, Sterlin and Lora Woodard, and her sister, Erica Woodard.

‘‘It’s just amazing and wonderful to be going to Georgetown,’’ Faith said. ‘‘I can’t wait to get up there, once I have the right clothes.’’