The path from the bench to the floor on Chris Beard's team is pretty well defined.
"There's a relationship between minutes and production," said Beard, UALR's first-year men's basketball coach.
Given that philosophy, it's no surprise to see Roger Woods in the starting lineup over the past two weeks. He's also finishing games, too.
Woods, a 6-5 forward, was a preseason third-team all-Sun Belt Conference pick after averaging 11.9 points and 6.5 rebounds a year ago. But he came off the bench for much of this season after starting 26 games last year.
That's until recently, when he scored 16 points in consecutive games against Appalachian State and at Arkansas State. Woods was part of a starting rotation shuffle Beard made before a Jan. 21 game at Texas State, and he hasn't left the starting lineup since.
Woods likely will start again for the Trojans (19-2, 9-1) tonight at home against Troy after one of his most impressive weeks.
In victories over Georgia Southern and Georgia State, Woods was assertive on offense and played wherever UALR needed him defensively. Woods scored 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting in an 80-67 victory over Georgia Southern on Jan. 28, and he had 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting in Saturday's 63-53 victory over Georgia State, a game that prompted Beard to say he "looked like a player out there."
That's not to say Beard has ever been displeased with Woods' play. His role is so varied this year -- he's played four positions on offense and all five on defense -- that sometimes his final line doesn't capture his contributions.
"I think the way we play, the style of play, helps him because he doesn't really have a position," Beard said. "A lot of times, in American basketball people get caught up in the numbers. But I don't see the game like that. I see, 'If you can play, you can play,' and Roger is a great example."
Woods had a little trouble showing that early in the season, playing more than 14 minutes just once through the first four games. When the Sun Belt season began Dec. 30, he was averaging 7.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game.
Coming off the bench was an adjustment for Woods. He had been a regular part of a starting lineup since his lone year at Southeastern Louisiana, where a meniscus injury complicated his freshman season.
"It was kind of hard," Woods said. "But it was still, just getting in there and helping my teammates win, that's all that matters."
Woods has been asked to play everywhere for the Trojans. On Saturday, he attacked Georgia State's zone near the basket, which came two days after he made 5 of 6 free throws to end with 15 points against Georgia Southern.
Beard noticed Woods' versatility the first time he watched tape of him in the summer. What he saw in Woods reminded him of former Texas Tech forward Andre Emmett, whom Beard helped coach under Bob Knight and was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics.
"Andre didn't really have a position. Roger is the same thing: He's just a basketball player," Beard said. "He's a really, really, really intriguing college basketball player."
One whose time in college is winding down. Woods, who got to UALR last year via Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, has 11 guaranteed games remaining. Beard has mentioned his four seniors -- Josh Hagins, Jermaine Ruttley, Daniel Green and Woods -- often this season and how quickly their careers are coming to an end. Woods, headed to his first winning season as a Division I player, has taken the message to heart.
"Coach Beard talks about his seniors a lot, and I believe he trusts me a little more," Woods said. "But I've never thought about it much. All I've wanted to do is win, that's the only thing I've ever wanted to do in basketball."
Sports on 02/04/2016