Lenoir City High School will have a player heading to an NCAA Division I school.
Basketball player Tyler Hood has verbally committed to Samford, a private university in Birmingham, Ala., in the Southern Conference, and will sign on Nov. 11.

"It's a final decision," Hood said.  "I checked and re-checked to make sure this was the place for me."
Hood said the top-notch pharmacy school at Samford was a major draw for him, as he is interested in majoring in either pharmacy or pre-med.  "Definitely in the medical field," he said.
He said a school close to home wasn't a necessity, but it was certainly a nice perk.  "It was a factor.  I wanted to make sure it wasn't a school on the west coast or too far away," he said.  "They (his parents) wanted it within a reasonable distance so they could watch some games."

The LCHS senior said it was important to him to make a decision before his high school season started.  "I was telling the guys that I feel about 200 pounds lighter," Hood said.  "I wanted to have enough time to enjoy my senior year."

Hood said while he has no idea how much playing time he'll be looking at when he gets on campus - "It'll be determined by how well I absorb the system and how well I play in upcoming practices," he said - he is aware of where he'll play in Samford's Princeton offense.  "I will be playing the 4-man - on the wing," Hood said.  He explained that Samford runs a "constantly moving" offense that has four players running frequently.  He said he's comfortable with the idea that he'll fit into the system, because the coaching staff only recruits players it's sure will fit into the offensive style.

This isn't just a big moment for Hood, however, as Lenoir City Head Coach Kevin Windle said this is a monumental occasion for his program as well.  "It lets you know the program is headed in the right direction," he said.  "Hopefully this will help the younger generation see what it takes to get to that level."

Windle gave credit to former Lenoir City Head Coach Shane Wells for "molding" Hood, but also said the senior "blossomed himself by putting in the effort."

Windle, who has also served previously as an assistant on Wells' staff while Hood played at Lenoir City, said of the senior, "He's an excellent player.  But as good a player as he is, he's a better young man."

The coach added, "He's a pleasure to coach.  He makes everything a little bit better."
Hood said his decision came down to Belmont and Samford and Windle added that Hood had scholarship offers from schools such as East Tennessee State, Austin-Peay and the previously named two.

Hood is currently second on the all-time Lenoir City scoring list with 1,438 points.  
He's likely to pass the current leader, Matt Hurst, who sits at 1,627 points.  Hood has averaged 17 points per game in his high school career.

The Samford basketball team has finished 14-15 the past two seasons and was 15-15 in 2006.  
Attending Samford will give Hood the chance to turn the Bulldogs into a conference contender.
He's certainly helped Lenoir City turn a corner with its program.