Nov 11, 2015 03:48 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

South Carolina's top high school basketball recruit in the class of 2016 spurned the state's flagship school and verbally committed to North Carolina.

Seventh Woods, a six-foot-one guard from Columbia, S.C., chose the Tar Heels over South Carolina and Georgtown, ESPN reported.

"I've thought long and hard about this decision, but next year I'll be attending the University of North Carolina," USA Today quoted Woods saying during his announcement ceremony. "I also want to thank the coaches at Georgetown and the University of South Carolina, too. I have a great relationship with them and they made this the hardest decision I've had. And I want to thank Coach Roy Williams. He's believed in me since the eighth grade. I'm confident that I made the right decision."

Woods ranks 53rd on the 2016 ESPN 100 and is listed as a shooting guard. 247 Sports classifies Woods as a combo guard and rated him with a 0.9825 composite score. While he may be able to play both guard positions, Woods will have to refine his passing skills and improve on his decision-making to play the point effectively.

Woods is the second four-star recruit in Roy Williams' class of 2016 class, which includes a commitment from five-star center Tony Bradley. North Carolina is also pursuing a pair of five-star prospects who recently visited Chapel Hill, guard Rawle Atkins and center Udoka Azubuike.

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