For many players in the NBA, the end of the season means a
six-month layoff until the opening of training camps in
September.
For players like Earl Watson, longer days and shorter nights
mean more time to practice. The second season is as important as
the first, if not more.
“A typical day in my summer, I usually work out from 9 to
11,” he said. “Basketball drills from about 1 to 3
“¦ About 4 to 6, I play pick-up (games) with the pros. And
after that, I shoot only for an hour. And that’s basically my
summer day.”
It has been nearly three years since his name was called on
Draft Day 2001, the 40th overall pick by the Seattle Supersonics.
That year, he played in 64 games, averaging a little more than 15
minutes a game coming off the bench.
At the completion of the 2001-2002 season, Watson became a free
agent after having only inked a one-year deal with the Sonics. On
Aug. 6, 2002, the Memphis Grizzlies came knocking, and the former
Bruin guard was quick to answer. A big reason was that Jerry West,
who Watson admired while at UCLA, had become the new general
manager of the team that summer.
“The only reason I’m here is because of Jerry
West,” Watson said. “That’s why I came to
Memphis, because I respected him. I met him at UCLA, and I’ve
always been a fan of his.”
Watson played 79 games his first season on the Grizzlies,
averaging 5.5 points per contest behind starting point guard Jason
Williams.
This past season, Watson played in all but one game and started
a career-high 12 games after Williams went down with an injury. He
averaged about six points and 4.8 assists per game in about 20
minutes per contest.
Second-year coach Hubie Brown has certainly noticed the
dedication and work ethic.
“Earl had a fine season,” Brown said.
“He’s a very hard worker. He’s the first guy to
the gym and the last guy out of the gym. Williams gets injured, we
put him in the starting lineup, we go 8-2, beat New Jersey twice.
(Watson) places Jason Kidd to a stand-still both games.”
Watson’s teammates have also noticed what he brings to the
Grizzlies.
“He’s a very good point guard, knows how to run the
team, slow the game down, speed the game up,” Grizzlies
center Lorenzen Wright said. “He’s a winner.”
The background for any of Watson’s pro success was his
time in the blue and gold. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.7 assists,
3.8 rebounds and just under two steals per game, while being only
the 13th four-year starter in the program’s history. In 2000
and 2001 he was a co-winner of the Coach John Wooden Award for the
team’s most valuable player.
“I used Coach Wooden a lot, just to talk to him … ask
him a lot of questions,” Watson said. “(He’s) a
guy who I really respect. “¦ That was one of the biggest
reasons why I went (to UCLA) “¦ just because of him and what
he has done for basketball period.”
Playing four years on the Pauley hardwood in front of the
ever-present Wooden molded Watson into the tough, gritty player
that he is today.
“Just to be a part of the four letters means more than
anything,” he said.
The opportunity to carry on the tradition at Westwood on one of
college basketball’s biggest stages meant more to him than
even the NBA. It gave him a chance to extend a legacy.
“The only thing that’s defined my career was making
the decision to go to UCLA, because that has exposed me to many
great talents, whether it’s in the classroom or on the
basketball court,” Watson said. “The NBA is not as good
as the UCLA experience, anyone will tell you that. “¦ UCLA is
such a great university that it prepared me for life.”
When asked to recall his greatest experience in Westwood, Watson
paused to think. But mention of a 108-107 overtime victory helped
stimulate his memory.
“Beating ‘SC every time,” he said on his way
out, having put in yet another night’s work.