When Zach Duval was hired as Creighton’s new strength and conditioning coach, there was much speculation on what would happen to Andy Woodley who was hired for that position just over a year ago. Well now we know that he has now been hired in Des Moines by Orange Planet, a “premier Iowa athletic club that focuses on hoops and health.”
Woodley will be the Director of Basketball and Player Development for Orange Planet. Though there were some rumors that the parting from Creighton wasn’t very smooth, the press release on Woodley’s hiring by Orange Planet uses some testimonials from some at Creighton:
“Andy Woodley has a great passion for teaching the game of basketball. His ability to analyze a player’s skill set and then develop an individual workout program to improve their game is very impressive. His track record of success as a high school coach is very impressive. Players of all ages in the Des Moines area will really enjoy working with Coach Woodley because of the pride he has in teaching and coaching the game of basketball. He will make you a better player!” –Todd Eisner, Creighton University Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach
“Coach Woodley helped me improve my all around game. When my defense was slacking he showed me the proper techniques to make corrections. Coach Woodley and I worked endless hours in the gym developing my mid range game. In the long run, I received the player of the year award in the Missouri Valley Conference, honorable mention All-American, participant in the college three point contest and numerous NBA tryouts.” –Booker Woodfox – Creighton University- Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year ‘09
It was interesting that Woodley was hired at Creighton over a year ago for a position that he didn’t seem to fit. Maybe it was to help get some recruits that didn’t pan out as expected. Or maybe it was to possibly become an assistant coach on the bench if another assistant were to leave this offseason when Coach Brian Fish was in the running for the North Florida head coach. When neither of those things happened and it became apparent that the Jays needed to bulk up a little more and become more tougher physically, Woodley appeared to be the odd man out.
Good luck Andy Woodley. We hardly knew ‘ya.
Other Notes: Former Creighton Star Ryan Sears will be playing in the Capital City Summer League in Des Moines this summer. The teams for the Des Moines summer league contain current players from Drake and Iowa St. and many local high school players as well. The league runs from June 17th through July 12th..