Getting To Know...Creighton's Maurice Watson, Jr.
12/18/2015 1:27:00 PM
By Sean Brennan, Special to BIGEAST.com
By Sean Brennan, Special to BIGEAST.com
In our latest installment of GETTING TO KNOW we go one-on-one with Creighton's rising star Maurice Watson Jr. The 5-10 junior point guard, who scored the second-most points in the history of the Philadelphia Public League (yes, even more than a guy named Wilt Chamberlain), clues us in on what it was like playing for his dad in high school, why he chose to leave Boston University after two very successful seasons, how long it took him to decide that he would look really good in Creighton blue and white and how an East Coast guy, who is leading the Bluejays in assists and is second in scoring, is living the dream in Omaha.
BIGEAST.com: You played for your dad, Maurice Sr., at Boys' Latin High School in Philadelphia. What kind of influence did he have on you and your basketball career?
WATSON JR.: "My dad never pulled any punches with me. He told me everything straight and he just set me up to be able to handle a lot of the pressure that come with the game."
BIGEAST.com: Did you enjoy playing for him?
WATSON JR.: "Oh yeah I really enjoyed playing for him. We had that connection and I knew he had my back 100 percent of the time and we knew we could do something special together. We both put in our time and our work in the game and we succeeded together. All the success I've had is because of him."
BIGEAST.com: You had quite the career in high school scoring over 2,300 points, even topping Wilt Chamberlain. Can you talk about your high school career?
WATSON JR.: "In high school my team needed me to score so my dad would get mad if I wasn't averaging 25 (points a game). I don't know many players that put in the time and dedicated themselves to basketball the way I did. I just tried to lead those guys and it ended up making me a better player because I had to work as hard as everybody else to be on top."
BIGEAST.com: So after leaving high school you head for Boston University. Why did you choose that school?
WATSON JR.: "They already had four or five guys from Philly on the team that I played against and with before, and a lot of the staff was from the Philadelphia area, so I'd rather go somewhere where I know some guys and have that family atmosphere that I already know as opposed to going somewhere far away and being with a bunch of guys I might not click with. At that point in time I just wanted to be around family, so that was the best place for me."
BIGEAST.com: So you had two very good years at BU and in your sophomore year you finished third in the country in assists (7.1 per game). Why did you then decide to leave BU and how did you wind up at Creighton?
WATSON JR.: "It was a really big decision to leave BU, but I thought about it after we didn't make the (NCAA) tournament in my sophomore year and I just thought if I want to make it to the NBA I felt like the market at BU was too small, they're basically a hockey school. So to make my dreams happen I had to take a chance and play against the best competition and prove myself, regardless of my size. And when I visited Creighton it was everything I was looking for and it just so happened it came on my first visit. So I committed to them before I even left campus. I was just ready to make that next step."
BIGEAST.com: Rarely does a player commit that quickly. You must have really been impressed with the school.
WATSON JR.: "Yeah my family loved it, too, and it was a place where I thought I could focus and be away from any distractions. That's what I needed."
BIGEAST.com: After finishing third in the country in assists in your sophomore season, is it safe to say you're the kind of player that likes to get others involved but could you also be more of a scorer if you were called upon to be one for the Bluejays?
WATSON JR.: "My favorite thing is passing. That's one thing I pride myself on because there aren't many guys who can get their teammates involved as much as I can. I don't mind turning down some shots to give other guys shots. I think with my passing (abilities) I feel like it separates me from the pack. And of course if coach (Greg McDermott) needed me to score more, then I would. I feel like I put a lot of work into my game and I don't think people can stop me when I decide to try and score. But I like passing and we have a lot of (scoring) threats and if I can just keep doing what I'm doing and just lead them and keep their confidence high throughout the season, that's what I want to do."
BIGEAST.com: How hard was sitting out last season as a transfer?
WATSON JR.: "Well I broke my foot in November and basketball was completely taken away from me. For those two months I definitely hit the wall because it was like 10 more months before I could play a game and I missed the game. Some days you feel like you're working for nothing because you're not getting anything out of it. And the team didn't have the best year last year so I really wanted to get out there and help them and you can't. That was the toughest part. But it made me a hungrier player".
BIGEAST.com: Did you ever have any doubts that you could play in the BIG EAST?
WATSON JR.: "Growing up the BIG EAST was always my dream conference. My dream school was Villanova. I spent a lot of time at Villanova growing up. So that's where I really wanted to go. But once I had the chance to go to the BIG EAST I jumped at it because this is a guard conference and to excel you have to be really talented to measure yourself up to other guards and I wanted that chance."
BIGEAST.com: So how did a guy from Philly who spent two years in Boston adapt to life in Omaha?
WATSON JR.: "(Laughs) I don't think I adapted to it until this past summer. It took a while because it's so quiet and it's not as busy or active. But once I accepted it and embraced why I was here I started to like it a lot more and got more comfortable."
BIGEAST.com: It doesn't hurt that Creighton is the big game in town with Omaha not having any pro sports teams.
WATSON JR.: "It's like I'm living out the dream right now. There are little kids that want your autograph and a lot of people (in town) knowing you everywhere you go. It's really good to see that type of love and support from people who just want to come watch you and be around just because of a game you love."
BIGEAST.com: You played for your dad, Maurice Sr., at Boys' Latin High School in Philadelphia. What kind of influence did he have on you and your basketball career?
WATSON JR.: "My dad never pulled any punches with me. He told me everything straight and he just set me up to be able to handle a lot of the pressure that come with the game."
BIGEAST.com: Did you enjoy playing for him?
WATSON JR.: "Oh yeah I really enjoyed playing for him. We had that connection and I knew he had my back 100 percent of the time and we knew we could do something special together. We both put in our time and our work in the game and we succeeded together. All the success I've had is because of him."
BIGEAST.com: You had quite the career in high school scoring over 2,300 points, even topping Wilt Chamberlain. Can you talk about your high school career?
WATSON JR.: "In high school my team needed me to score so my dad would get mad if I wasn't averaging 25 (points a game). I don't know many players that put in the time and dedicated themselves to basketball the way I did. I just tried to lead those guys and it ended up making me a better player because I had to work as hard as everybody else to be on top."
BIGEAST.com: So after leaving high school you head for Boston University. Why did you choose that school?
WATSON JR.: "They already had four or five guys from Philly on the team that I played against and with before, and a lot of the staff was from the Philadelphia area, so I'd rather go somewhere where I know some guys and have that family atmosphere that I already know as opposed to going somewhere far away and being with a bunch of guys I might not click with. At that point in time I just wanted to be around family, so that was the best place for me."
BIGEAST.com: So you had two very good years at BU and in your sophomore year you finished third in the country in assists (7.1 per game). Why did you then decide to leave BU and how did you wind up at Creighton?
WATSON JR.: "It was a really big decision to leave BU, but I thought about it after we didn't make the (NCAA) tournament in my sophomore year and I just thought if I want to make it to the NBA I felt like the market at BU was too small, they're basically a hockey school. So to make my dreams happen I had to take a chance and play against the best competition and prove myself, regardless of my size. And when I visited Creighton it was everything I was looking for and it just so happened it came on my first visit. So I committed to them before I even left campus. I was just ready to make that next step."
BIGEAST.com: Rarely does a player commit that quickly. You must have really been impressed with the school.
WATSON JR.: "Yeah my family loved it, too, and it was a place where I thought I could focus and be away from any distractions. That's what I needed."
BIGEAST.com: After finishing third in the country in assists in your sophomore season, is it safe to say you're the kind of player that likes to get others involved but could you also be more of a scorer if you were called upon to be one for the Bluejays?
WATSON JR.: "My favorite thing is passing. That's one thing I pride myself on because there aren't many guys who can get their teammates involved as much as I can. I don't mind turning down some shots to give other guys shots. I think with my passing (abilities) I feel like it separates me from the pack. And of course if coach (Greg McDermott) needed me to score more, then I would. I feel like I put a lot of work into my game and I don't think people can stop me when I decide to try and score. But I like passing and we have a lot of (scoring) threats and if I can just keep doing what I'm doing and just lead them and keep their confidence high throughout the season, that's what I want to do."
BIGEAST.com: How hard was sitting out last season as a transfer?
WATSON JR.: "Well I broke my foot in November and basketball was completely taken away from me. For those two months I definitely hit the wall because it was like 10 more months before I could play a game and I missed the game. Some days you feel like you're working for nothing because you're not getting anything out of it. And the team didn't have the best year last year so I really wanted to get out there and help them and you can't. That was the toughest part. But it made me a hungrier player".
BIGEAST.com: Did you ever have any doubts that you could play in the BIG EAST?
WATSON JR.: "Growing up the BIG EAST was always my dream conference. My dream school was Villanova. I spent a lot of time at Villanova growing up. So that's where I really wanted to go. But once I had the chance to go to the BIG EAST I jumped at it because this is a guard conference and to excel you have to be really talented to measure yourself up to other guards and I wanted that chance."
BIGEAST.com: So how did a guy from Philly who spent two years in Boston adapt to life in Omaha?
WATSON JR.: "(Laughs) I don't think I adapted to it until this past summer. It took a while because it's so quiet and it's not as busy or active. But once I accepted it and embraced why I was here I started to like it a lot more and got more comfortable."
BIGEAST.com: It doesn't hurt that Creighton is the big game in town with Omaha not having any pro sports teams.
WATSON JR.: "It's like I'm living out the dream right now. There are little kids that want your autograph and a lot of people (in town) knowing you everywhere you go. It's really good to see that type of love and support from people who just want to come watch you and be around just because of a game you love."
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