Former NC State men’s basketball forward Scott Wood was born to be a shooting star. With a strong work ethic, excellent teammates and exposure to hoops from a young age, Wood finished his career as the best shooter in NC State history with a program-best 334 triples.

The son of a Division 1 basketball player, Wood found himself with a basketball in his hands at a young age. The legend of Scott Wood began at the state fair when he turned heads at the shooting game.

“Back when I was under one year old we went to the fair, and I by no means remember this, but this is a story my dad used to tell everybody,” Wood said. “He signed up for us to do that shooting game with the oblong rims … he put me up there and I ended up making two out of three and taking the biggest prize.”

Wood hails from the basketball-rich state of Indiana and learned the game early. As a result, he knew from a young age that he wanted to play basketball.

“Basketball is pretty much all I’ve ever known,” Wood said. “Growing up in Marion, Indiana, I tell everybody, ‘You could be a farmer or play basketball, and I didn’t want to be out in the field.’”

Despite hailing from a basketball haven, Wood pursued college basketball away from home. After growing up watching stars in the Triangle, Wood knew he wanted to come to Tobacco Road to continue his basketball career. 

“I wore 15 because of Vince Carter, who went to Carolina, and I always grew up a Duke Fan — I loved watching JJ Redick when I was younger,” Wood said. “I always wanted to play in the ACC.”

During his time in the red and white, there was no doubt that Wood made a positive impact on NC State men’s basketball. As the greatest shooter in Wolfpack history, Woods had a knack for making tough shots. One of Woods’ teammates, former NC State guard Staats Battle, remembers Wood sinking one of his more impressive shots during a game of H-O-R-S-E.

“He was up in the balcony watching … Scott was just looking down at us like little chumps,” Battle said. “I was like, ‘Make it right there and I’ll give you my car,’ and I was totally kidding, but he made the shot from the balcony and over the backboard … To this day, he always jokes that I owe him my car.”

Becoming an elite shooter was not an easy process for Wood. He practiced shot after shot until he developed into a sniper on the court.

“You just got to put the time in,” Wood said. “Not everybody has a picturesque shot, but if you get in the gym, put in your time, get a lot of shots off and get the repetition, it’ll all work out.”

Aside from his impressive shooting ability, Wood was also a strong defender — partially because of his offensive talent.

“Obviously he’s a phenomenal shooter,” Battle said. “Him being so smart on offense actually allowed him to [also] be a great defender because he knows what the offensive player is trying to do … His defense is probably the most underrated thing.”

Wood wasn’t just great on the court, though. He was also an excellent teammate that made sure both him and his teammates were prepared for whatever might have come the Wolfpack’s way. During the 2011-12 season when Battle was a walk-on freshman, then-head coach Mark Gottfried implemented drills with scholarship players before the walk-ons, leaving Battle with no idea what to do. Fortunately, Wood had Battle’s back.

“When we would go through it, [Wood] would be like, ‘Watch exactly what I do and then I’ll let you sub in for me and do exactly what I did, and you’ll look good’,” Battle said. “I was a freshman walk-on at the time, bottom of the barrel, and he did that for me, which I really appreciated.”

With his shooting, defense and selfless play, Wood helped bring the Wolfpack to some of its better moments in recent history, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. For Wood, returning to Raleigh after a pair of wins in the NCAA Tournament and seeing the overwhelming support from the Wolfpack fan base was a highlight of his time at NC State.

“Coming home after we beat San Diego State and Georgetown, when we came home at the practice facility, there was like 3,000 people,” Wood said. “Seeing the joy on the fans’ faces and knowing that they’d be there to support us as we took on Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen with an opportunity to move on to the Elite Eight is a memory that I’ll always cherish and hold on to.”

Now 10 years removed from playing at NC State, Wood remains active in the Wolfpack community. After playing basketball internationally for several seasons, Wood has returned to North Carolina and remains proud to be a member of the Pack.

“I appreciate being a Wolfpacker to this day,” Wood said. “I enjoyed my time here in Raleigh and how great NC State fans really are.”