AMES — While Demarion Watson was relatively inconspicuous in Minnesota’s packed basketball scene, Nick Carroll wondered what he was seeing when he watched the 6-foot-6 wing play.
“When I saw it, I was like, ‘What am I missing?’” Carroll recalled. “‘I don’t know why he isn’t considered the best kid in this class.'”
Then, when Watson transferred from Minnehaha Academy to Totino-Grace, where Carroll is the head men’s basketball coach, the picture clicked.
Carroll lacked nothing.
“It didn’t make sense to me why he wasn’t talked about more,” Carroll said, “and as I got to know him more, there really was nothing I was missing.”
The rest of Minnesota’s basketball-rich hoops community, and top college coaches, would share Carroll’s sentiment as Watson became one of the best players in the state and one of the top 150 recruits nationally before commit to Iowa State. where he began his college career earlier this summer.
“After (transferring in high school), I feel like my recruiting level and confidence level shot up,” Watson said this week. “Just because I was more comfortable in the new place and I worked on my game a lot more.”
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He’s now being talked about as a potential Day 1 contributor for the Cyclones with enough of a head start that he’s generally considered the top pro prospect among Iowa State’s three-man freshman class thanks to his combination of size, athleticism and shooting ability. threw.
“Especially regionally, a kid from Minnesota or Iowa, people will say, ‘Oh, he’s so athletic,’ and they don’t really realize what’s out there in the world,” Carroll, who is also a co-founder of the recruitment. service preparation hoops, she said. “But D is really athletic. He is a top one percent athlete.
“At 6-6, he shoots hard and knows who he is. Sometimes, especially now, guys want to be good at everything, and D knows his way to play at Iowa State, then thrive at Iowa State and potentially play at the next level is shooting and protecting people.
“He really is subscribed to that. When you talk about the advantages, you can see a very clear path on the role that he would play at the next level to knock down shots and defend.
Watson has been one of the early standouts in summer practice largely because he knows and is able to execute his role.
“I’ve really done well keeping my engine up and being a really good defender,” he said. “Be a three and D guy. Take shots. A guy who can slice and dunk. A guy who can defend the best player. A guy who can alter shots at the rim.”
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If Watson is able to hit 3s consistently, he’ll find his way onto the court for an Iowa State team that struggled in that department a year ago and projects to do so again this season. However, defensive ability will also be a factor in a program that ranked in the top five nationally in defensive efficiency in its Sweet 16 season a year ago and has made that brand of basketball his identity.
“You can put him on guard and he’ll hit you with length,” observed fellow freshman Eli King, “and he also has the size to defend forward.”
Watson is also familiar with making his mark on the defensive end of the floor.
“He likes to play defense,” Carroll said. “He likes to win. In our state finals game, he didn’t score, but he was very much the reason we won the game because of the impact he had on defense and rebounding, hitting the passing lanes, blocking shots.”
Now, more than a month into her college career, Watson continues her transformation from low-key prep to tap into her deep potential.
“I really like the feel of the state of Iowa,” he said. “That’s why I came here. They have really pushed me hard and are working on me. I’ve had a good six weeks. It has been a good introduction to university.”
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at [email protected] either (515) 284-8000. FFollow him on @TravisHines21.