Woolfolk's Impact Fuels RedHawks' Rise

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Antwone Woolfolk had a decision to make.

Coming out of high school, the talented athlete had Division I offers to play multiple sports. Not only did the 6-9 Cleveland native have several basketball opportunities to choose from, but he was also a highly-sought-after tight end prospect. FBS programs such as Boston College, Cincinnati, Marshall and Akron hoped the Brush High School standout would go the gridiron route when it came to his college athletics destination.

However, in Woolfolk's mind, the path forward was a simple one. Antwone Woolfolk

"I just always loved basketball," Woolfolk explained. "I was always good at football, but I always loved basketball, since I was a little kid.

"It was actually crazy because a bunch of basketball schools thought I was going to play football, so they didn't decide to recruit me. When I got my first football offer and first basketball offer, there was a big difference. With the football offer, it was just like, 'All right. Thank you.'

"I was truly excited for the basketball offer."

Woolfolk eventually signed with Rutgers out of the Big Ten and spent two years with the Scarlet Knights —where he played 59 games, including an appearance in the 2023 NIT— before transferring to Miami University in the spring of 2024.

"I knew I was looking for a place to call home," Woolfolk said of why he chose Travis Steele's program out of the portal. "I didn't want to transfer again.

"I went on a couple of other visits…but once I took my visit here, I knew this was the place. The coaching staff just had great enthusiasm and it was a welcoming feel."

Woolfolk and the RedHawks have been a perfect match since day one. The big man brings a defensive intensity and an inside offensive force to a team that has developed into a powerhouse, winning 36 of its past 41 games dating back to last season. That sustained success includes rewriting the record books with a hot start in 2025-26, as Miami has rattled off a program-best 17 straight victories to open the season. And the man in the middle has been a key piece of the puzzle. Woolfolk has started all 50 games he's played since arriving in Oxford and continues to make his presence felt at both ends of the floor. Most recently, he matched his career high with 21 points as the RedHawks grabbed their first victory at Toledo since 2011 in front of a national-television audience.

Antwone Woolfolk

"Number one, he is an elite defender," said Steele. "He's a guy that can hedge ball screens, switch ball screens, defend in the post one-on-one and [even] guard guards on the perimeter…and keep them in front. At 6-9, 240 pounds, you don't see many people that are able to do that.

"And he's a guy that can really play inside and outside on offense for us. He gives us a ton of versatility…

"The physicality of his football [background] shows, I think, with the way that Antwone plays on the floor. I love football guys. It means they love contact. He's used to it. It's an absolute battle down there [inside]."

Not only can Woolfolk score in the paint, but he's been showing off his expanding shooting range recently, specifically over the past few weeks. After only making five total three-pointers in his first 105 career games, the senior forward exceeded that output in an 11-day span as the calendar turned to 2026, converting seven of nine attempts from beyond the arc during Miami's last four wins.

"My freshman year, I couldn't shoot for anything!", Woolfolk laughed. "That's one thing I've been working on since I got to Miami, just continuing to grow there and build that confidence. Coach Steele has helped me a lot with the confidence piece. And in the summer, we do a bunch of shooting drills; that's helped also – just getting those reps up.

"That's one part of my game I always thought I could work on and continue to get better at, and I think it's finally starting to show…

"When you see the ball go in, the rim just becomes the ocean. All you see is green at that point." Antwone Woolfolk

Woolfolk enters this week's action shooting a ridiculous 63.7% from the field overall, a number that would rank among the top 20 players in the nation in that statistical category (if he had only taken enough total shot attempts to qualify!).

As Woolfolk, a protégé of Miami Hall of Famer Chet Mason at Brush High, reflected on the development of his skills —specifically from the perimeter— he referenced a lesson that his mentor repeated constantly throughout Woolfolk's high school career.

"He always said, 'Fill your cup.' Put in the work until it shows, and overfill your cup. And great things will happen from that. That's one of the things I took from [Mason] and continue to add to my life," Woolfolk commented.

"Antwone has worked really hard on his jump shot…he's spent a lot of time on that in the gym," Steele added. "He can really score inside; he's an enforcer for us. But his ability to shoot changes our whole deal and our space on the floor. It makes him a [true] inside/outside threat."

Woolfolk has shown up all over the Miami box scores through the RedHawks' season-opening winning streak, averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds while playing just over 20 minutes a night. However, one of his biggest plays of the conference season so far won't be found on the stat sheet. With the Red and White clinging to a two-point advantage over defending league champion Akron in the final 21.2 seconds on Jan. 3 (and a chance to match the longest home win streak in program history hanging in the balance), Woolfolk single-handedly forced a turnover by the Zips to take away the visitors' chance to tie or take the lead.

After Peter Suder rattled in a free throw to make it 72-70, Woolfolk unleashed a one-man press in the backcourt on the ensuing inbounds play, surprising all three Akron players in the vicinity. The result of Woolfolk's quick thinking? A startled Amani Lyles stepped across the end line before attempting to throw the ball in, committing a violation and giving the RedHawks an extra possession in crunch time. Miami went on to seal a 76-73 victory in front of a crowd of 4,111 at Millett Hall to earn their 23rd straight home win (a mark they would break three days later with a triumph over WMU).

Antwone Woolfolk and Peter Suder

"After the free throw, I just knew I was going to press because I didn't want them to get a big transition play or anything like that," Woolfolk recounted. "I knew I wanted to slow them down and it ended up leading to a turnover…I'm fast enough to get back into the play [if it didn't work]. Coach always preaches building that wall, and that was in my mind as well."

"That was a heck of a play," Steele smiled. "We're technically supposed to do it a lot; we don't do it a ton. He just had great instincts."

As the official's whistle blew to make the crucial call, Woolfolk immediately knew what had happened. He clapped his hands together and pumped his fists as the fans exploded in cheers.

"It was exciting. I always love playing in big games like that. There's no better feeling, especially having the crowd there. That's the best thing in the world, having your home fans and having that support," Woolfolk said.

The buzz around Miami Basketball has been building week by week throughout the undefeated season, and Woolfolk and the RedHawks will have plenty of chances to show out for their fan base as January continues. Four of the team's final five games this month will take place in Oxford, including matchups with Central Michigan (Jan. 13) and Buffalo (Jan. 17) this week. The Red and White are fighting to win Miami's first MAC regular-season crown since 2005 and have their sights set on bringing the tournament title home from Cleveland for the first time since 2007.

"Being a part of [this season] has been amazing so far," Woolfolk said. "It feels good; I just want to keep to building on to that. Our coaches and players are great on and off the court. It's been super fun…I just want to help win a MAC championship. Antwone Woolfolk

"[We are focused] on getting back to the MAC Tournament and winning that. I also think making a run in the NCAA Tournament is a key goal for us: Not just settling for getting there, but making a run. That would be big-time for us."

There have undoubtedly been at least a few times over the years where Woolfolk flipped on a college football game on television and thought about what he could have accomplished if only he had pursued that sport at the next level.

But as one of the most memorable seasons in Miami hoops history continues to unfold…and dreams of March glory draw ever closer…one truth becomes more obvious with each basket Woolfolk buries or every big play he makes.

When Woolfolk picked basketball, he clearly made the right choice.

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