Meet the Freshmen: San Francisco’s Devin Watson

When Avry Holmes decided to transfer from the Dons, it left a void at the point guard spot. Holmes was the Dons primary ball-handler last year when Cody Doolin left the team, and did an admirable job as his fill-in, averaging 12.5 points and 3.1 assists.

Initially, the Dons depth chart only featured one true point guard at the lead guard spot for next season: Frankie Ferrari, an incoming freshmen who has a lot of surrounding hype but came from a smaller school in California and may not be ready to contribute right away.

Very late in the spring signing period, the Dons landed another point guard to take some pressure off Ferrari and create more competition at the lead guard spot for the Dons. The aforementioned player is Devin Watson, a 3-star point guard from El Cajon, Calif. Watson will look to contribute immediately for a USF program that is on the rise.

At the Army and Navy Academy

Watson started off his high school basketball career at the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, Calif. The 6-foot-1 point guard started his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons at Army-Navy, with his junior season being the most illustrious. Watson averaged 23.6 points, 6.2 assists and 1.9 rebounds his junior year, helping lead his school to a 29-5 record.

At El Camino High School

Watson decided to attend El Camino High School in El Cajon, Calif. for his last season of eligibility at the high school level.

Watson was electric once again at El Camino, posting 24.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game in a year which earned him All-San Diego Section first team honors. His team posted a record of 27-6 his senior season and advanced to the semifinals of the San Diego Section Open Division playoffs.

Watson recruitment originally ended when the San Diego area native committed to Craig Robinson and the Oregon State Beavers, but he reopened his recruitment before the Fall signing period. Watson held offers from a host of schools, including LMU, San Diego, UConn and Texas A&M.

Impact at USF

Based on the depth chart at USF and his skill level, Watson has a serious opportunity to earn significant playing time and make a difference during his debut season. Watson will be very much in the running for the Dons starting point guard spot, and the ultra-talented guard from Southern California could end up sliding in there at some point in the season.

Watson is a score-first point guard that has the ability to dish it off to open teammates if the defense collapses on him. If he proves he is ready for the Division I level in his first season, he could make a serious run at WCC newcomer of the year if the stars align.