The ball sails towards the basket, bouncing around the rim. A defensive player from Washington High School jumps up and tries to tip it out. Grady center Brandon Watkins leaps above his opponents, grabs the ball in the air and brings it down with a huge slam dunk.
Watkins, who has committed to playing at West Virginia next year, is a double threat. Not only can he defend well, like so many big men, but he is also a threat on offense, averaging 12.2 points per game. For Watkins, big dunks like this are an common occurrence.
Watkins started playing basketball at the age of 5 after he was encouraged by his mother to attend a basketball camp run by his uncle. He started playing organized basketball at 11, at Drew Charter School. He played in sixth and seventh grade until he was eligible in eighth grade to play on the junior varsity team at South Atlanta High School. Watkins then went to Grady for high school, where he has played varsity basketball all four years.
“I thought transitioning from middle school basketball to high school basketball would be harder, but then I played my first game, and it just came easy to me,” Watkins said.
The 6-foot-9, 225-pound power forward is a huge asset for Grady. Currently, Watkins is ranked by ESPN as No. 6 at this position in the state and as the No. 18 high school center in the country. In addition, he is also a McDonald’s All American nominee. The All-American game is an all-star game played by the best high school basketball players in the country.
Grady coach Brian Weeden and summer league coach Norman Parker both believe that Watkins’ size sets him apart from most other players. Although big players don’t usually shoot from the perimeter, long-range shooting is a major strength of Watkins’ game.
“Very few big guys can step outside and shoot the ball.,” Parker said. “He does that very well.”Watkins prefers to play with his back to the basket, rather than playing facing the basket. In addition, he can run the fast break well. Watkins is a very hard worker and a dependable player.He is also a very unselfish player — sometimes a little too unselfish for Parker’s liking; Parker prefers that big players sometimes demand the ball and drive to the rim.
“You can always count on [Watkins] to score in tight situations or if you get beat on defense he is there to blocks shots,” junior teammate Chandler Organ said.
Watkins had a very good summer playing with the Georgia Stars. At the time, he was ranked No. 56 in the country among centers. Soon, he started attracting the attention of college scouts. He said he grew tired of talking to scouts and getting evaluated and decided to turn down early offers from Miami, Memphis and Florida State and committed to West Virginia. West Virginia, coached by the legendary Bob Huggins, is a mid-to-high ranking Big 12 team that makes it into the March Madness tournament most years. Watkins’ uncle, Warren Baker, was a four-year starter at West Virginia and was inducted into their hall of fame the same weekend that Watkins verbally committed.
“I was actually glad when he commited early,” his mother Janet Watkins said. “It took a lot of pressure off of him.” She has played a big role in supporting Watkins’ basketball.
“If he continues to work hard, he would probably be starting for West
Virginia,” Weeden said.
Weeden also said that if Watkins can take his work into “another gear” this summer, as far as becoming more physical and avoiding fouling out, he will have a bright future.
In addition to basketball, Watkins plays golf outside of school. He started golf in middle school but had to keep it always on the side, second to basketball. He plans to play more this summer, as he is no longer trying to get noticed by college basketball coaches.
Both Weeden and Parker think Watkins’ size, good work ethic and McDonald’s All-American nomination are all attributes that will help him be successful in college—and maybe even get him into the NBA.
“With his size and athletic ability, and his willingness to work, to me, I think the sky is the limit,” Parker said.
