| | By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The money was in front of him. Loads of it. NBA first-round, million-dollar money, bad back and all. But Loren Woods turned that same back, and took a rain check.
He'll be back to collect and, when he does in June, the amount could possibly double.
Woods' return to Arizona from back surgery is a big reason why the Wildcats are ESPN.com's preseason No. 1 and gives them a legit chance to win the national title.
|  | | Teammates say Loren Woods is 100-percent ready to be a force for the Wildcats after offseason surgery on his back. |
Shrugging off the temptation to take the money and run, the 7-foot-1, fifth-year senior (yes they still exist) ensured the Wildcats would have the most feared starting five in the nation. But it wasn't an easy decision.
Coming back to Tucson meant he would have to work even harder on his own, without the plush surroundings of an NBA training facility and medical team. Woods had to work, with the guidance of an Arizona trainer in the grueling summer Arizona heat.
"Last year, people told me to take the money and go to where the best medical attention was in the NBA," Woods said. "They said the best place to make a comeback was in the NBA. But you won't find a group of guys in the NBA like these guys. My teammates really were concerned for me. We're definitely like brothers here and you don't get that in the NBA."
Woods still agonized over the decision to return, leaving his players wondering until he made his announcement at a late March news conference.
"Prior to the injury, I thought he was probably gone," said Arizona coach Lute Olson of Woods, who averaged 15.6 points and 7.5 rebounds a game in addition to his 102 blocks in 26 games. "But once the injury happened, and he had to go through the surgery and the rehab, I thought he would slide down considerably in the draft. I thought it would be a bad decision for him to come out with a cloud over him.
"This year he has a chance to be the No. 1 guy picked based on the improvement he has made. Next to Kenyon Martin, he was the next best take as far as NBA people were concerned."
Woods said he first hurt his back when he fell at Washington State in February. Once he compressed the discs, he contacted Valley Fever, a disease caused by breathing in spores of a fungus. The condition weakened the bone and Woods eventually had two operations in April to insert four screws and a plate in his back to stabilize the vertebrae.
Following the first surgery, the doctors came into his room and told them they had to adjust them in a second surgery. That set his rehab back a few weeks.
"The toughest part was when I couldn't run or jump yet and had to concentrate on my abdominal muscles," Woods said. "I couldn't do anything that would make the screws loose. I had to be patient and disciplined. It was the most excruciating pain in my life, nothing comes close. I can't imagine people who work in jobs where they're constantly picking things up and moving them around."
Woods won't be lifting heavy goods this season. Instead, he'll simply have to focus on getting his lanky frame down court to block shots and finish offensive rebounds. A summer in Tucson, working out six days a week, hitting the weights and going through drills have teammates deeming him fit for basketball duty.
"He's 100 percent," said Arizona sophomore guard Gilbert Arenas. "He wanted this bad. He has something prove. He wants to prove everybody wrong about him."
Woods has dealt with knocks on his stamina, strength, desire and now his back over a four-year career that started at Wake Forest and led him to Arizona.
"You always like to tell people that you told them so," Woods said. "I'm at a stage in my life that I'm passed that and much more mature now. If I was still 19 and the same things were going on like at Wake Forest then I might say something. But Arizona has been great, I've got a great group of guys, and we can make a Final Four run."
Woods' work ethic has rubbed off on his teammates. But the questions are still unanswered until he goes against live competition. During Midnight Madness, Woods was back to his old tricks. He ran the floor as if he had never been hurt.
"The only thing I was worried about out there was being anxious because of the last six months," Woods said. "I felt great."
Woods led the team in stretching and defensive slide drills. He flopped to the floor, pretended to take charges, and looked more limber than a few of his teammates who haven't had screws placed in their back.
"No one will believe it until they see it," said Arizona junior forward Richard Jefferson.
But the players don't have to wait. They've bought into believing both Woods and his back are back.
"He's our captain and our leader; dunking on people, blocking shots," Arizona sophomore point guard Jason Gardner said. "He's the man on this team. He's laughing and playing and running the floor like he used to. He's back to normal."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. | |
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Loren Woods finishes the fast break with the two-handed slam.
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Woods is a shot-blocking machine.
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Loren Woods runs the floor for the dunk.
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Loren Woods dominates the lane for the Wildcats.
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