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RECRUITMENT OF ISAIAH WATKINS CONTINUES TO GAIN STEAM

There are a lot of new faces within the St. Benedict’s Prep basketball program in Newark (NJ) this season. From new head coach Mark Taylor to Class of 2015 must-see point guard Isaiah Briscoe and more new talent on the Gray Bees’ roster it is an exciting new era for the program in Newark. One player that still seems to be under the radar nationally is Isaiah Watkins, another member of the Canadian AAU program CIA Bounce that will look to excel this year for Taylor’s squad.

“What drew me to St. Benedict’s was the goal of becoming better,” Watkins told NBE earlier this evening. “Improving every day and hopefully being able to win at the highest level possible.”

The improvement of Watkins has been ongoing through the spring and summer according to Nolan Shulman, National Recruiting Analyst of Flagrant Fouls and Editor-in-Chief of the Ultimate Recruiting Handbook which is the authority on Canadian basketball prospects. Shulman also noted that Watkins will come to work every single day at St. Benedict’s, which should only enhance his goal of improving.

“Watkins is a guy who’s come a long way in the last year,” said Shulman. “While his skill level is improving daily, his motor is something you can never question. He’s a warrior on the basketball court who never takes a possession off. He’s one of those guys coaches love to have because they always know what they’re getting. A guy you can rely on to do his job, compete, and give up his body.”

The opportunity to play at St. Benedict’s was too good to pass up for Watkins and the added exposure of playing for a nationally renowned program such as the Gray Bees is invaluable for a player so few had heard of just a few months ago in the United States.

“The best part about the St. Benedict’s experience so far has to be the basketball, getting the opportunity to be seen by colleges and having the ability everyday to improve, as a student and a ball player,” Watkins said.

The colleges that have come through Newark to watch Watkins and his talented teammates work out has been impressive. In just the week since college coaches have been able to hit the road Watkins counted Harvard, Louisville (tickets), Georgetown (tickets), Wagner, St. Peter’s, SMU, Towson, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Cincinnati (tickets), Iona and Rutgers (tickets) among others. Watkins himself has been hearing from an impressive list of programs of late.

“I have heard a lot from Harvard, Stanford, Boise State, Florida State, Arkansas [and] Marquette (tickets),” he said. “I talked to the coaches from Georgetown (Hoya Fan Gear), Villanova (tickets) and Kansas this week.”

Watkins also mentioned additional interest from Ohio State, Ohio, Michigan, Washington, Purdue, Baylor, Indiana and Georgia among others while listing offers from Rice, Arkansas, Cincinnati (gear), Iowa State, Lafayette, Temple, Santa Clara, Elon and more. As one can imagine with such a long and varied list of schools Watkins is very open in the process.

“I am really keeping an open mind to all the possibilities at the moment and I’m excited to see what comes my junior year,” he said.

Watkins is hoping to show college coaches an expanded game as the season progresses and when they hit the road next summer to evaluate. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound big forward is looking to step away from the basket more and take his game to the perimeter.

“I am really committing myself to being a full-time small forward,” said Watkins when asked what he is working on improving the most this season. “That is where a lot of my focus lies.”

With schools like Stanford, Harvard and others interested in his services it is easy to guess that Watkins is an excellent student as well as a basketball player. Nolan Shulman also speaks highly of Watkins’ character and expects him to go a long way in life on and off the court.

“While on the court he’s tough and hard-nosed, off the court he’s as nice a kid as you’ll ever meet,” said Shulman. “He looks you in the eyes, is well spoken, and cares about the people around him. I expect him to not only have success in basketball but to be successful in life.”

St. Benedict’s will have plenty of eyes on them this season with their new look line-up. Many of those eyes will belong to college coaches who will be watching the continued development of Isaiah Watkins. It is clear to see that whatever program is lucky to land Watkins in the 2013 recruiting class will be getting one heckuva person, student as well as basketball player - a true triple-threat!

NBE will pay close attention to the recruitment of Isaiah Watkins in the future and you can stay tuned right here for the latest…