Few things are more dangerous than a player with a chip on his shoulder, and newest Creighton commit Maurice Watson has grown some broad shoulders.
When the 5’9” guard decided to transfer from Boston University just over 10 days ago he instantly became one of the best guards on the market. Watson led the Terriers to an NIT apperance averaging 13.3 ppg, 7.1 apt and 2.1 spg in 2013-2014, after averaging 11.2-5.4-1.7 in the same categories in 2012-2013 earning American East All-Rookie 1st team, America East All-Conference 3rd Team and CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major All Freshman All-American his inaugural season in college hoops.
Creighton lands Boston U transfer Maurice Watson (photo courtesy www.thechampaignroom.com)
Watson’s unselfish play quickly brought national attention to the Terrier’s as the lead guard from Philadelpia notched 17 assists in a Conference Tournament game versus Army and 12 assists in an NIT performance against Illinois.
Detractors often point to Watson’s size as a reason he would never succeed against ‘big-time’ competition, however in six games this season versus teams from the American Athletic Conference, ACC, A-10 and Big Ten, Watson averaged 11.7 ppg and 7.6 assists, including a memorable performance against National Champions UConn and head-to-head battle with Shabazz Napier in which Watson matched Napier’s stat line of 12 points, 6 assists and 2 steals.
Watson equaled Napier’s play in the teams meeting early in 2013 (photo courtesy of fanisded.com)
Despite landing #92 on ESPN Top 100 players in the 2012 class, Watson’s only local interest was from La Salle. Fellow Philadelphia programs Villanova, Temple, St. Joseph’s and neglected to recruit Watson who ended his High School career at Boy’s Latin with 2,356 career points, which put him 7th best all time in Southeastern Pennsylvania and second most in Philadelphia Public League ahead of NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain. Watson was sought after by Virginia, Texas Tech, Niagara, Boston and a Hofstra team that boasted current Creighton Assistant Coach Patrick Sellers.
On April 2, Watson’s father who ended up making the journey to Omaha yesterday, told CityOfBasketballLove.com “we feel now that he needs to take his basketball ability and play on a bigger stage.” When the elder Waston was asked what they were looking for in a school he mentioned, “He has a dream and his dream was always to have an opportunity, one, to play in the NCAA tournament, two, play in a packed arena, and three, make it to the NBA.” Watson Sr. admitted that “at this point, we feel that our best opportunity to reach these goals are on a bigger stage than BU. As great of a program as it is, we believe that it’s in a developing stage and that Maurice can’t take the chance of sticking around until they get to that point.”
All indications from the Watson family and Creighton staff are that Watson can reach all three of these goals over his two seasons at Creighton.
Watson will have to sit a season due to NCAA transfer regulation and will be eligible to play in the fall of 2015. Watson will gain valuable insight into Coach McDermott’s offense and just exactly what it takes to lead the Bluejays. He will be able to learn from rising Seniors Austin Chatman and Devin Brooks.
WBR staff member Kenneth Daly spoke with Maurice right before he left Omaha on his way back to Boston to finish school.
Watson told WBR staff he is beyond excited to join the Creighton family and that when he began to look at the landscape of college basketball and programs the choice was clear. “I pretty much knew from the beginning that Creighton was a program that I would be interested in. When I decided to transfer Coach Sellers, who recruited me at Hofstra, gave me a call, and Coach Mac called shortly after,” Watson told WBR in a phone interview. “It’s funny where basketball takes you. I never thought I would be on a recruiting trip to Omaha, Nebraska when I was a high school player from Philly.”
In a narrative that is becoming familiar with recruits, Watson said he was blown away by his short time in Omaha. “Omaha is great. There is so much to do, so many good places to eat and fun spots, I am really excited to spend the remainder of my college experience here.”
Watson will sit for the 2014-2015, learning everything he can from Chatman and Brooks. When asked about some of his goals he mentioned improving his jump shot, as well as learning how to run McDermott’s offense. “I am excited to learn under Austin and Devin, I hope to improve my leadership skills during my transfer year,” Watson said. With Chatman and Brooks graduating after next year, Watson, who will be a red-shirt junior, will be a leading candidate to take the reigns of the potent Bluejay offense. His up-tempo, team basketball mentality fits right in with the way the Jays want to get out and fly.
Upon Watson’s announcement he would be seeking a transfer, teams from all over the country began to inquire about his availability. Coaches from Illinois, Wichita State, UConn, Kansas, Vanderbilt, Temple, Purdue, Penn State, Xavier all called to gauge his interest. In the end however it is the Jays that will land the talented point. “It was clear from the first moment I spoke with Coach Mac that he was sincere and wanted me to join the Creighton family. At the level I was looking to join there are not many differences that separate most schools. Creighton new practice facility is amazing, and the arena is awesome, but lots of other schools have similar features. Its Creighton staff that is the difference. They treat you like family and I believe it is under them that I can become a better player and better person.”
Welcome to the Creighton family, Maurice.
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