Rocket Watts
| No. 0 – SPIRE Institute | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Point guard / Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||
| League | High school | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | June 1, 2000 Detroit, Michigan | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school |
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| College | Michigan State (committed) | ||||||||||||||
Medals
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Mark "Rocket" Watts Jr. (born June 1, 2000) is an American basketball player for SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. He is a four-star recruit and is considered one of the top players in the 2019 class. He is committed to play for Michigan State at the college level.
High school career
Watts spent his first of high school with Allen Academy in Detroit, Michigan. As a freshman, he averaged 14.1 points and led the team to a 19–3 record.[1] He left the team after the school closed.[2] Watts moved to Old Redford Academy in Detroit for his next two years. While at the school, he also played with The Family on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit.[3] In his sophomore campaign, he averaged 25.6 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.8 steals per game and earned Detroit News second-team All-Area honors.[1][4]
As a junior, Watts averaged 26.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 3.1 steals per game, helping his team finish 19–6.[1] He was a Detroit News first-team All-Area pick and held 22 NCAA Division I offers by the end of the season.[5] Watts was named first-team All-State in each of his first three years.[1] For his senior season, Watts transferred to SPIRE Institute, a prep school in Geneva, Ohio.[6] On September 22, 2018, he committed to Michigan State.[7]
National team career
Watts played for the United States under-18 basketball team at the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship. He helped his team win the gold medal, averaging 6.8 points and 2.5 assists per game.[8]
Personal life
Watts earned the nickname "Rocket" while playing football at age five. His father Mark Sr. originally owned the nickname for the speed he displayed while playing high school football.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d "Mark Watts Jr". USA Basketball. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Force, Andrew (April 30, 2017). "Rocket Watts: The Takeoff". PrepHoops. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Goricki, David (June 25, 2018). "'Rocket' Watts, Beverly to take time in recruiting process". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Goricki, David (April 7, 2017). "Detroit News All-Area boys basketball teams". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Goricki, David (April 3, 2018). "Detroit News All-Area boys basketball teams". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Farrell, Perry A. (September 11, 2018). "Michigan top recruit Rocket Watts leaving Detroit for Ohio prep school". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (September 22, 2018). "Rocket Watts, No. 6 PG recruit in 2019, commits to Michigan State". ESPN. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ "Mark Watts (USA)'s profile". FIBA. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
- ^ Jordan, Jason (May 27, 2018). "Rocket Watts says don't box him in to one label". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved November 6, 2018.