The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 13, 1997, Garnet and Black, Page 12, Image 12
cally enough, the floor general for the
Gamecocks over the past two seasons.
Along with being named to the
SEC Preseason All-SEC team,
Watson was also named a team captain
during the preseason. And now
that Watson is entering his second
season playing with backcourt mates
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called on to be the scorer that he has
been the past two seasons. Watson is
settling in his role as more of a true
lead (or point) guard.
With a year more of experience as a
Gamecock than the other two,
Watson felt a little more relieved with
USC's acquiring of Larry Davis and BJ
McKie before the start of last season.
"Larry and BJ both took a lot of
pressure off of me last season after
they came here," Watson said, as he is
quick praise to his two teammates.
"Larry is a hard worker. He's been
through a lot, and I admire him for
going to UNC and taking what he
did. I respect him a lot because he
always puts God first.
"And when BJ first got here, 1 knew
he'd be good. His game was way past
that of a freshman," Watson said.
Watson started defining his own
role a little more last season as he led
the Gamecocks in assists with 138
(4 5 per game) and was second on the
team in steals. Watson also earned a
spot on the Coaches All-SEC third
team, while finishing third on the
team in scoring with 12.2 points per
game.
But more than anything else,
Watson remembers the season ending
68-67 loss to Alabama in the third
round of the NIT. With less than 10
seconds left, Carolina needed onlv
" ? points to win the game and to
send them to New York for the NIT
semifinals. After Carolina inhounded
the ball, Watson dribbled it off of his
foot and out of bounds as the
Gamecocks lost the last possession
and the game.
"I'll never forget dribbling the ball
off of my leg to end that game. That
one play has driven me this season,"
Watson said.
After Carolina's first six games this
season, that drive has become obvious.
Watson is already averaging 6.0
agists per game, the third best average
in the SEC behind Arkansas'
Kareem Reid and Georgia's G.G.
Smith.
"In Melvin Watson, we believe we
have one of the better lead guards in
the Southeastern Conference and in
the country. Melvin's development
has been extremely good and we feel
his two best years are ahead of him.
Melvin is one of the quicker and more
explosive lead guards in America, and
he has tremendous strength and the
bility to penetrate and make good
things happen. Melvin brings good
leadership to our basketball team,"
said Eddie Fogler before the start of'
the season.
Watson was forced to miss a game
and a half due to an ankle injury in
11 Garnet & Black, January, 13, 19i
/
ii
I really wanted
to be playing in
that game. I love
the game of basketball
so much
atiiiwi o^aouiid. dWi
Watson finished his senior season 1
averaging 21.0 ppg and was named har
the South Carolina North-South All- ant
Star game MVP. After his senior year, er c
Watson chose to attend The er v
Winchendon School, a New England coa
prep school, for a season before tun
>7
that I was not satisfied
sitting out
against Wofford.
- Melvin Watson
the second half of the LSU game at
the Maui Invitational. Watson
missed the first game of his career
against Wofford at the invitational,
breaking a streak of 61 straight games.
The Gamecocks went on to win
both the LSU and Wofford games
despite Watson's injury, but he missed
playing just as much as Carolina
missed having him start.
"1 really wanted to be playing in
that game. I love the game of baskethall
so much that I was not satisfied
sitting out against Wofford," Watson
said.
During his freshman season,
Watson's game did everything but
reflect his placid personality. Meh j.n
Watson, much like McKie, had the
kind of freshman season that college
athletes dream about. att
During that season, Watson led the
team in scoring with 13.4 noints ner Ti
game and finished 15th in the SEC. W
He also led all SEC freshmen by rank- '
ing in the Top 20 in the SEC in six M<
different categories along with plac- gai
ing> seventh in the league in minutes He
per game, averaging 34 4 per contest. tal
As a result, Watson was named to wa
the Freshman All-SEC team, making th;
him the first Gamecock to he named Cai
to an All-Conference team since the th<
Utah Jazz's Jamie Watson was named M<
to the All-Metro Freshman team in W1
1991. Watson had the second highest i
total ever for a Carolina freshman wh
with 107 assists. ser
This came after a stellar prep and are
high school career. Watson was the
Burke High School MVP his final ,
three years at the Charleston, S.C. 1
high school. He also led his team to (
the state finals his freshman and cat
junior seasons and was named to the ma
All-State team during his junior and anc
i mmm
Irmo High School's head coach
m Whipple certainly remembers
atson.
'I had the opportunity to coach
dvin in the North-South All-Star
ne his senior year in high school.
: was just an outstanding kid. You
k about someone that you would
nt to take home to your parents,
it's a part of the family, that you
i take anywhere and know that
iir going to represent you well ?
dvin's that person," Coach
hippie said.
Although it still remains to be seen
ether the Gamecocks will reprett
USC well this season ? chances
, Watson will.
mm mmm a
me riaymaner
Ulad in gym clothes, a young man
ches a pass from one of his teamtes,
dribbles the ball a few times,
1 pulls up for a shot about 10 feet
ly from the basket,
rhe ball comes thudding down
d on the unforgivingly stiff rim
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in the opposing team. The shootvaits
for a look of approval from his
ch and when he does not get it, he
as and runs hack on defense as the
I
P IBf
career, BJ McKie did become something
special for Coach Whipple and
his Irmo Yellow Jackets.
During McKie's scholastic career,
Irmo High School captured two state
titles, one upper state title, and a
reeion championship. lust like every
other hoop star who has emerged,
there was a time when McKie had to
learn to crawl before he could learn
how to walk.
That crawling came during McKie's
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opposing team resets the ball at the
top of the key.
Watching the game is Tim
Whipple. His blank stare makes its
way across a crowded hardwood floor
full of gym students involved in five
or six separate basketball games. He
thinks back to five years earlier, when
USC sophomore guard BJ McKie,
then a Irmo Yellow Jacket freshman,
was playing on that very floor.
"As a freshman, even though he
did not get a chance to play much, BJ
was very competitive ia practices and
at that point he would do things that
are very untypical of a freshman,"
Whipple recalls.
"He would be very assertive and
very aggressive and right then I knew
that we had something special. And
how good? That was still to come."
Over the course of his hieh school
SMelvin
Watson, left,
in last year's
game against
came to USC
from Burke
of Charleston.
Irmo High
School's head
basketball
coach Tim
Whipple said
Melvin is
"just an outstanding
kid."
Xlh
W
freshman year as he spent the entire
season backing up then Irmo senior
Marvin Orange. Last year, Orange
finished up a productive collegiate
career as a senior point guard at the
University of Alabama. The same
Alabama that USC, and freshman BJ
McKie, faced in the third round of
the season-ending NIT quarterfinals.
While most high school freshman
would have been more concerned
with the lack of minutes they were
receiving, McKie spent his time as a
diligent understudy to a future SEC
starter by learning from Orange.
"It was great. BJ completely
accepted the fact that he wasn't going
to play. He helped us to be a better
team in practice. He helped Marvin
to ne a oetter player wntle at tne same
time he was learning how to be a
starting point guard in a situation like
ours," Coach Whipple said.
Because of his willingness to get
better, BJ's freshman apprenticeship
had its fair share of dividends. After
Orange's departure, McKie moved in
and became Irmo's starting point
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became an All-Region selection for
three consecutive years. His junior
year, McKie broke Irmos single season
scoring mark and reset it at 741
points, while averaging 21.8 points