Sunday, March 10, 2002
College update: Wooten's success rooted in family
By Shannon Russell
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Pierre Wooten starts every Winthrop University basketball game the same way, executing pregame warm ups with determination and precision. He blocks out the crowd, the noise and the pressure for 20 minutes, heads to the bench for final instructions and takes the floor as a starter.
Briefly, in a move that only an attentive fan might see, he scans the crowd. When Wooten finds what he's looking for, he nods and flashes two thumbs up.
Only then is he ready to play.
His reassurance? His parents, Sandra and Elton. The Wootens have traveled through ice, fog, wind and rain to see their son play on the Eagles' South Carolina home court and beyond. They've attended games when Pierre was a freshman averaging 15 minutes, sat through a sophomore season when a hand injury left him red-shirted and unable to compete, and watched him become a starter averaging 11.3 points and six rebounds a game.
Wooten, a 6-foot-3 guard, has been on Winthrop's roster for 118 career games. His parents have missed one - just one - outing in four years. Their 111-game streak ended in February with an airplane's minor technical problems and a major dose of bad luck.
"I was in tears," said Mrs. Wooten, who doesn't work during basketball season to watch her son play. "It just hurt so bad to miss that one game because we never had missed one before."
The Wootens didn't skip a game when Pierre played for Winton Woods through 1998, and they don't plan on missing another. For that, Pierre is relieved.
"All through that game I was looking for them to give the two thumbs up. I was worried because I knew they were coming. I didn't even find out what happened until the game was over," he said.
Winthrop is easily a home away from home for Pierre, who keeps in touch with his family regularly while becoming a favorite among classmates. On Feb. 23, the junior was crowned the Winthrop Homecoming King during halftime of the team's UNC-Asheville victory. He wore a Homecoming crown as a junior at Winton Woods, too.
But it wasn't Wooten's popularity that brought coach Gregg Marshall into town. Marshall, who took over as head coach in 1998, was looking for the best in basketball talent to revive a struggling Eagles program when he made a Cincinnati scouting trip. His first recruit was Pierre Wooten.
"I basically loved the way he pushed the ball from one end of the court to another. He's got such long, loping strides," Marshall said. "And that quickness - he's as good an on-ball defender I've ever had the pleasure to recruit or coach."
In the four years Marshall and Wooten teamed up, Winthrop has won as many Big South Conference Championships. The Eagles defeated High Point 70-48 March 2 for their latest title, making them the first Division I team in NCAA history to win four straight league championships. Today the team (19-11) is awaiting their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid.
So are Wooten's parents, who have flown from South America to Canada to see Winthrop play. Mr. Wooten, an employee of a major airline, always carries a pocket planner and pen to coordinate his work schedule with Winthrop games.
"I think the parental support and being there for Pierre gives him reason to excel in the classroom and with athletics," Mr. Wooten said. "It seems to be uplifting for him to see his parents always there for him."
Pierre, a business/marketing major
and Big South Scholar, will be pursuing a master's degree next fall during his final season of athletic eligibility. Right now, the only thing on his mind is basketball.
"The sky's the limit," he said of Winthrop's chances. "We just need to stick together and trust each other."
He feels the same way about his family. At least once more this year, Pierre will execute his pre-game exercises, confident his parents are behind him. He sums up his parents in two words: "They're wonderful."
Others
Three Cincinnati State men's basketball players received honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association and Ohio Community College Athletic Conference. Malcolm Manier and P.J. Sanders (Withrow) were named to the the NJCAA All-Region XII team. Manier was named the OCCAC's Newcomer of the Year. Johnny Miller, a guard/forward from Muncie, Ind., was named to the OCCAC second team. Sanders received an OCCAC honorable mention.
Kent State freshman Ashley Clark (McNicholas) was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team for her achievements on the women's basketball team.
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College update: Wooten's success rooted in family