Thursday, November 19, 1998
Coach’s dream
FEATURE: Earl Watson’s perfection, leadership can fulfill
any team’s fantasies
By David Arnold
Daily Bruin Contributor
Earl Watson must be a coach’s dream.
In practice he works as hard as anyone else, and in games he
only wants to win. Off the court he only wants to improve, and on
the court he only wants to lead.
And he’s saying all the right things.
"I’ve got no individual goals, only team goals."
"I don’t really care about the attention."
"I like my position on this team."
Watson couldn’t be better for Bruin basketball public relations
if the UCLA’s Sports Information department dictated his quotes to
him.
In a sport where the the professionals are on strike, high
schoolers are jumping to college, and the collegiates are getting
more attention than ever, Watson is a rare find.
Not only does he say all the right things, he believes in
them.
"Earl is very easy to coach," said assistant coach Steve
Spencer, "He plays all out all the time. Whether it’s practice or a
game, he puts the team first. He’s willing to do whatever it takes
for the team."
A player who’s easy and eager to be coached, what more could a
coach hope for?
How about a player who is a coach?
"He is like a coach on the floor," said Spencer, "He’s very good
at being an extension of the head coach, which is exactly what you
want from a point guard."
And get this: leading the team and pleasing the coaches hasn’t
even been difficult for him.
"No, it’s been easy for me." claimed Watson, "Though off the
court I’m not the loudest guy, on the court you’ve got to get up in
a teammate’s face and call the plays. But, yes, it’s been easy for
me."
On a team with a nationally ranked recruiting class, and injured
sophomore guard Baron Davis a Wooden Award candidate, one might
think that someone who comes to work every day and does his job
could get overlooked.
Far from it.
"I’m getting more attention than last year," Watson said. "But
overall, on the team is where we need the attention. Trying to be
one of the top five teams in the country, achieving team goals,
that’s where we need the attention."
But no matter how well the team does this year, people are going
to realize how much Watson has improved since last season.
It was the kind of off-season change that coaches dream of.
Even head coach Steve Lavin will admit it: Watson has made a
"quantum leap," in his eyes.
"Travis (Reed) and Earl are definitely the most improved
players, in terms of strength and conditioning, decision making and
maturity."
Lavin calls Watson "ahead of schedule."
"(He’s) playing like a junior or senior as a sophomore. Of
course, he thinks he’s behind schedule because he’s a
perfectionist," Lavin said.
On some teams, being called the "most improved" would mean that
the player hardly contributed last year. But for the Bruins, the
label comes with a caveat – after all, this is Earl Watson.
Watson was the only player to start all 33 games the Bruins
played last season. Not even the three seniors (Toby Bailey, J.R.
Henderson and Kris Johnson) accomplished that feat. He averaged 5.8
points a game, with 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals in an
average of 32 minutes.
So when people say Watson has improved, remember, he was the
team’s "Most Outstanding Defensive Player" and made the Pac-10
All-Freshman team.
"Mentally, I’m 100 percent better," admitted Watson. "Last year
I didn’t know what to expect from college, from Coach Lavin and
practices. This year I came in with an exact mind-frame of what I
needed to do, and that’s made the difference.
"I’m smarter now, realizing how to prepare for games, and during
games."
Traditional thinking would imply that to work out as hard as
Watson did, one would have to set a lot of individual goals.
Watson doesn’t think traditionally.
"I don’t have individual goals. The only thing I want to do is
win as many games as possible.
"I just want to be a leader on the court."
With an obvious natural flair for defense, Watson spent most his
time developing his offensive skills. He spent countless hours
running shooting drills, passing drills, running on the track every
day. He would play pick-up games with NBA players, he was always
asking for advice on how to be a better point guard, or a better
leader.
And it paid off.
Against the Taiwan national team, Watson had 16 points, with
seven assists, four rebounds and one steal.
During a game earlier against the California All-Stars, he had
18 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
So don’t be afraid to tell him how much he’s gotten better. As
Watson put it, "I take compliments."
Which is a good thing, because right now fans are calling him
their favorite, and coaches are calling him their dream.JAMIE
SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Point guard Earl Watson leads on the court and puts the team
first on his priorities.
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