ELK GROVE — James Giacomazzi took his seat in the packed Sheldon High School gym, barely able to squeeze past the crowd to sit. It was winter of 2023, a rivalry game for Sheldon, led by their top rebounder, point scorer, and senior, Jaden Woodard.
Giacomazzi heard Woodard’s name for the first time the fall prior. It wasn’t until around Christmas time, with the coach knee-deep in recruiting, that he received a sign. A beam from his phone.
“I got another call at Christmas,” Giacomazzi said. “Coach, you’d better come out and look at this kid. And so I did.”
He sat in the gym waiting for the game to start. He was not the only one scouting Woodard; the word spread fast. But he was ahead of the game, having had multiple meetings with Woodard and his parents before he came to any game, building a relationship. He sat in that seat with an advantage.
Then, for the first time in person, Giacomazzi saw the senior guard in action.
“What I saw was just tenacity,” Giacomazzi said. “ I saw him being physical. I saw him being an aggressive driver.”
Captivated by Woodard’s skill and passion, Giacomazzi leaped.
That winter evaluation turned into a commitment. Two seasons later, Woodard is no longer the high school senior drawing college coaches. He is a sophomore leader at Las Positas, balancing more than just basketball.
Woodard has carved out a double identity at Las Positas College. On the court, he is one of the returning leaders from last season’s Elite Eight team, now tasked with guiding a new group through the postseason. Off the court, he has built a following on TikTok and Instagram, where basketball shares a space with lifestyle content and brand promotions.
As he enters the final semester of his sophomore year, Woodard is balancing leadership, academics, and a rising social media presence, all while weighing what comes next: a transfer opportunity, professional basketball, business, or modeling.
In a junior college system that is built largely on second chances and transfer opportunities, Woodard’s approach shows a shift in what success can look like. He is not only chasing wins and scholarships, but also building a platform, an income stream, and a résumé beyond basketball.
As college athletics continues to evolve in the time of personal branding, name and image, his ability to lead a program while capturing an audience highlights how today’s athletes are expanding their careers in real time. They are preparing for life after the final buzzer while still competing for one.
Woodard has started all 28 games this season. He averages 18.0 points per game, ranking fourth among the top scorers in the Coast-North Conference. He totals 469 total points, and he is shooting 53.5% from the field.
He averages 26.7 minutes per contest and has attempted 182 free throws, the 10th-most in the state. In conference play, his scoring increases to 18.8 points per game.
Last season, he played behind a group of sophomores during the program’s Elite Eight run. This year, he is a sophomore tasked with being a leader. The transition has required adjustment.
“The hardest part about the transition from last year to this year was being the guy everyone looks up to,” Woodard said. “If I’m out of control, then everyone else is kind of going to be out of control.”
He was selected captain by his teammates, to no surprise for Giacomazzi. He felt the leadership qualities required became visible late in Woodard’s freshman season.
His role now extends beyond scoring. He is responsible for the tone, communication, and composure of the team. In close games, the ball often finds him. In practice, younger players watch how he responds to instruction. He is no longer adjusting to the college level. He is expected to manage it ever since his first steps at Las Positas.
Woodard’s path to Las Positas was not automatic.
“Coming in from my senior year, I kind of wanted to go to a four-year school,” Woodard said. “Some of the opportunities really weren’t working out the way I wanted to.”
He took a visit to Las Positas. Giacomazzi showed him around campus and through Livermore. The distance mattered. The school sits roughly an hour and a half from his home in Sacramento.
“It wasn’t too far, it wasn’t too close,” Woodard said. “I was able to get away from home and live independently.”
The visit felt different from the rest. He said he knew that day. He now lives just minutes from the school, with his two teammates, Khristian Holmes and Ely Willis.
“I just knew when I came here, this is the spot I want to be at,” Woodard said.
STAR SCORER: Jaden Woodard (No. 0) leads the Hawks in scoring with 18 ppg and 505 points in the regular season. Woodard is a team captain for the Hawks and was a 2026 First Team All-Conference selection. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express)
The decision was not only about basketball. It was about development. He wanted minutes. He wanted responsibility. He wanted room to grow into a larger role. Las Positas offered that.
The move required adjustment. It was his first time living away from home. The structure of his daily life changed. The accountability increased. But so did his opportunity.
Now, two seasons later, the choice looks different from what it did in high school. What began as a reset has turned into a platform. One that includes wins, leadership, and something beyond the court.
The growth from last season to this one, according to Giacomazzi, has come in how Woodard reads the game. This season, Giacomazzi has seen expansion beyond scoring. Woodard said those conversations are normal. The texts after the games. The corrections during the film. The constant push for more. He doesn’t see it as criticism. He sees it as an expectation.
“If he’s on me, it’s because he knows what I can do,” Woodard said.
Giacomazzi said Woodard processes feedback differently than most scorers. Instead of reacting emotionally, he tends to internalize it. Sometimes that means overthinking. Sometimes it means adjusting immediately.
“He wants to get it right,” Giacomazzi said. “Sometimes he’s too hard on himself.”
The growth from freshman year to now, according to Giacomazzi, has come in how he responds. The margin for mistakes feels smaller.
His role is no longer just production. It is stability. That is what Giacomazzi said the program will miss most.
“We’re going to miss him on and off the court,” he said. “He’s a very unique basketball player. There’s not really comparables. But we’re also going to miss him as a young man and what he represents for our program.”
When practice ends and the gym lights go off, Woodard’s day doesn’t stop.
He picks up his phone and switches into creator mode.
What started as a hobby, making TikToks about his favorite rap artist, slowly drew attention. He began making short videos about songs he likes, including trending sounds, and lifestyle content. As his following grew, the casual posts turned into paid opportunities to promote sounds and brands.
“I was just posting every day, just being my authentic self,” Woodard said.
People started telling him they saw his videos on their For You pages, which made him realize his reach was bigger than he initially thought.
“I could put my identity somewhere else so it wasn’t fully in basketball,” Woodard said. “I was known for something else besides basketball, which I really liked.”
As the account took off, opportunities followed. People began reaching out about promotions, sometimes music sounds, sometimes sponsored content, turning a pastime into a side income. This pushed him to treat posting more seriously, editing clips between classes, after workouts, and before bed.
He began organizing his days around it the same way he does basketball. Mornings are typically reserved for schoolwork. Practice fills the afternoon. Content is filmed and edited at night. He plans, knowing what needs to be done the next day, before he goes to sleep.
“Managing school, social media, and basketball is definitely a challenge,” Woodard said. “But basically having a routine of things I’m going to do throughout the day.”
His routine allows him to separate his responsibilities. On the court, the focus is on scoring, leadership, and execution. Online, the focus is on filming, editing, and staying consistent. He said having structure keeps one from interfering with the other.
For Woodard, basketball and social media aren’t separate worlds—they feed into the same drive. On the court, he leads, scores, and sets the tone. Online, he creates, edits, and connects with an audience. Both require focus, planning, and persistence, and neither defines him alone.
He isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket; he’s exploring what he loves, building skills, and opening doors. One game, one post, one opportunity at a time.
***
TOP PHOTO: Sophomore guard Jaden Woodard poses for a photoshoot special to The Express Feb. 17, 2026. Woodard is a star on the court – leading his team in scoring with 18 ppg – off the court Woodard has 110.8 thousand followers and 59.6 million likes on TikTok. (Photo Illustration by Ian Kapsalis/ The Express)
Annie Moore is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow her on X @SanJosAnnie.
