His wife, Jerline, was also a star on the court in high school. After ending their athletic careers, the pair would go on to have seven children. The two oldest are former student-athletes, and the middle three are current student-athletes who will all be sporting University of Northern Colorado uniforms this year.

“For a while I was telling my siblings they should come up here and we could all be together,” Kassidy Woods, 23, said. “At the beginning I was just speaking it into existence. Now that it has come to fruition, it’s amazing. I never thought this would happen.” 

He’ll be focusing on being a role model and support system for his younger siblings who are also now Bears, attending UNC for the first time this fall. 

“I’m not going to be an overly protective brother, college is the time you experience new things and meet new people, so it’s going to be cool just being around them and seeing them grow into themselves,” Kassidy said.  

“Kassidy played a big part in why I wanted to come here,” Kioncé said. “He was always encouraging me to come here. At first, I was like, I get it, you want me to go to school with you but then it started to set in, and I started to feel the most comfortable here with my family.” 

Living in the same city for the first time since they were teens growing up in Texas, Kioncé and Kassidy will have no problem reconnecting their close bond. The two are living in a house together on campus.  

“Kioncé has definitely upped my cooking game,” Kassidy joked. “For a while, I was just eating shrimp burgers and anything chicken-related, but she’s a pescatarian so she said she was getting tired of shrimp burgers.” 

“I’m really excited to be on the same team as my brother,” Kylen said. “It’s going to push me to be better every day.” 

Aside from the obvious advantages of going to school with two older siblings — like easy access to a washer and dryer and having an address to send groceries and mail to — this will be the first time all three of them will be in the same place for their education.  

Kioncé and Kylen would have overlapped some high school years together, passing each other in the hallways like Kioncé and Kassidy did, but Kylen chose to attend a different high school in Texas. That didn’t prevent his older siblings from keeping an eye on his athletic success, though. 

“Ever since I’ve been in college, I would come home and teach Kylen things and he would pick up on them so fast, so my expectation is for him to be better than me,” Kassidy said. “He is already ahead of me when I was a freshman so yeah, I stay on him just to be supportive.” 

Kylen happily accepts the family dynamic.  

“I love it,” Kylen said. “I love being the little brother – the one that is going to be the greatest.” 

Those playful jabs and competitive spirit toward each other have always existed inside the Woods’ household growing up. Add that on top of actual sporting events, the calendar was always busy for their parents. 

“My parents like to describe it as never a dull moment,” Kioncé said. “They have not gotten a break in years. From high school games to middle school games, we were always doing something at the same time.”

Video above: Kassidy, Kioncé and Kylen talk about their experience at UNC 

Now, though, with three children all attending the same university, it will be much easier for their parents to witness them succeed on the field, court and in the classroom with only having to travel to one spot. Aside from the away games, of course.  

“My mom talks about moving up here all the time,” Kioncé said. “She jokes a lot, but I know she’s serious, and then with the two younger siblings [one in high school and one in middle school] everyone is always asking if they’re going to come here as well.” 

A total of five Woods siblings could attend UNC. It doesn’t seem too far-fetched seeing the family's history in athletics and dedication to higher education. That’s one of the main reasons Kioncé and Kylen chose to become a Bear. They saw first-hand through Kassidy how important providing a sense of belonging is at UNC.

“The community, from what I’ve experienced, is very family oriented,” Kioncé said. “When I introduce myself here people say I'm going to love it and they go to every basketball game. I really do feel like I’m at home.” 

While at UNC, Kassidy will be working to get his second degree studying Philosophy. He graduated last spring with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. The COVID-19 pandemic extended his eligibility for another two years. Kioncé will be pursuing a Sociology degree, and Kylen will be pursuing a Business Management degree with an emphasis in Finance.

– written by Sydney Kern