earl watson to train at St. John's

"During October ... my main concern is to represent the country of Mexico in the Pan Am games (Watson's maternal grandparents are from Mexico). [Before that,] I'm going to go live in New York, work out at St. John's University with my college coach, Steve Lavin, and kind of learn the jacks and trades of being a coach, because eventually I want to be a coach in the NBA.

should be a good experience for our guys.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/22/nba-lockout-deeply-affects-veterans_n_906941.html

More than valuable to essentially have a "guard's coach" and NBA PG working on internship essentially this fall.  It should help our guys quite a bit to have that kind of experienced player around. 

certaintly cant hurt. Maybe some other guys like baron, barnes, and curry will come as well

Now what happens if Ron Ron hear of this and wants to come too.

Now what happens if Ron Ron hear of this and wants to come too.

Bring em all in.   Metta World Peace and God's Gift together... why not?  SJU as the only college team in the mecca of basketball should have always been more entrenched.  The more stars coming around, the better.  Lavin starts winning some big games and it will keep rolling.  Maybe then we'll find that the level of success that we wish the 1980's were.

We used to have stars coming back to campus all the time.  Hopefully Lavin and co. can get it started again.  It is a huge selling point to have NBA players around.

We used to have stars coming back to campus all the time.  Hopefully Lavin and co. can get it started again.  It is a huge selling point to have NBA players around.

Pretty sure we had some old Lavin guys on campus last summer too.

This is very nice news to hear. Watson was a very good college player and a nice backup guard for years in the NBA. These young guys can learn a lot about the game and big time college basketball ball from Watson. Hopefully Lavin attracts more of these guys to come back and show our guys the ropes.

Lavin should get Anderson and Gathers on campus just to stare in awe at the site of Lavin, GENE KEADY, Earl Watson, Louie, Rico Hines, Dunlap, Mo Hicks, and whatever STJ basketball figures are visiting that day together in the same gym.

That's a helluva entourage.

Forgive the huge smile on a Bruin fan's face.   But on UCLA boards, where Steve Lavin ranks just slighty ahead of Hitler and Bin Laden, the story has been that his former players think he's a joke, can't coach, and couldn't wait go get away from him...

Now we have Earl (who had arguably the best game by a point guard EVER in the NCAA tourney in 2000's upset - utter destuction, really - of Maryland 105-70.  Earl had 17 pts, 16 assists, and no turnovers) coming back to Steve Lavin so he can learn the in's and out's of coaching.   This follows Baron Davis, who supposedly hated Lavin and didn't think he could coach, delivering protege Nurideen Lindsey into St. Johns arms, to prepare him for the NBA....

And whoever posted about last year - they're right.  Guys like former Lavin-Bruin Matt Barnes showed up at SJU to work with Lavin and Rico....

Earl Watson is a head PG, great work ethic & tremendous heart he can teach a lot to these kids

This is very nice news to hear. Watson was a very good college player and a nice backup guard for years in the NBA. These young guys can learn a lot about the game and big time college basketball ball from Watson. Hopefully Lavin attracts more of these guys to come back and show our guys the ropes.

FYI - Earl's been a little better than "a nice backup guard".  In his 10 NBA seasons he's had 5 assists or more per game 5 times.    Started a third of the games he's played.   His best year, in 2008 he was the sarter for the Sonics - averaged 11 pts and nearly 7 assists per game, while 73 of the 78 games he played.  He lost his starting job the next season.  But no shame in losing out to a Fellow Bruin Alum.  How many PGS in the league WOULDN'T have been beaten out by Russell Westbrook?   He went to the Pacers, where he again hung up over 5 dimes a game as their starting PG. 

How good of an assist-guy is he?   Well, Derek Fisher's been the starting PG on FIVE NBA title teams.  He's playeed 350 more games than Earl, Started over 400 more games.   Fish has 3,470 assists in his career in over 1,110 games (dishing to Kobe, and Shaq, and then Kobe and Pau).    Earl has 3,436 in 756 games.   

He's a remarkably durable athlete as well - an incredible work ethic.   In a league where guys now sit out for a hangnail, Earls played in 756 of the possilbe 810 games of his 10 year career. - 75.6 games a season...

This is a true "two way street" win-win for Earl and SJU.   You couldn't possibly have a better role model for the incoming kids to be around this summer...

One last thought regarding Earl.

Earl is one of the reasons you trust Steve Lavin when he goes after a kid who's NOT in the top 100, NOT on every coaches list.   Earl's only other really serious offer coming out of high school in Kansas City was Iowa State - and THAT was most likely because Earl was friends with JaRon Rush - a KC kid who was top 5 in the country and 1 year behind Earl.

The reason for the low ranking?   Earl wasn't playing point guard in high shool.  On a height challeged HS team, he spent his Jr and Sr year playing POWER FORWARD.   He developed into a point-Forward over those two years.    But as a Junior, Earl put up 23 pts, 10.4 rebs,  4.3 assists and 3.4 steals.   Then as a Senior - AFTER Lavin had already scooped him up - a remarkable  23 pts, 14 rebs(!!),  8.3 assists and 5.1 steals.   He joined a Bruin team just coming off the Elite 8, stepped in from game 1 as a starter in the backcourt, and helped the team to the Sweet 16, where they lost after fellow frosh starting guard Baron Davis tore his ACL in the round of 32 game.

But Lavin and his staff saw the potential.   So....I'm not judging any of our recruits till I see them on the floor - for all I know, Phil Greene could very well be another Watson-like diamond in the rough....

A Bit of Trivia.  After their soph season in 1999, Baron Davis went Pro - he was the 3rd overall pick in the NBA Draft.   Here's the thing for you stat guys.   That 1999 soph season at UCLA.    Baron Davis scored  429 pts, handed out 97 assits, and pulled down 97 rebounds.   That same season, his back-court mate, Earl Watson scored 411 pts, handed out 142 assists, and pulled down 114 rebounds.   

Earl had already taken the PG resposiblities away from the future Multi-year NBA All Star PG.  And Baron?  He's just the #4 active assist guy in the NBA...

Just more good news, bring all the recruits in for 2012, 2013 and 2014 when Earl is around. His presence can only help in a real positive fashion.

Quote from: Wods317 on July 22, 2011, 05:35:46 PM

This is very nice news to hear. Watson was a very good college player and a nice backup guard for years in the NBA. These young guys can learn a lot about the game and big time college basketball ball from Watson. Hopefully Lavin attracts more of these guys to come back and show our guys the ropes.

FYI - Earl's been a little better than "a nice backup guard".  In his 10 NBA seasons he's had 5 assists or more per game 5 times.    Started a third of the games he's played.   His best year, in 2008 he was the sarter for the Sonics - averaged 11 pts and nearly 7 assists per game, while 73 of the 78 games he played.  He lost his starting job the next season.  But no shame in losing out to a Fellow Bruin Alum.  How many PGS in the league WOULDN'T have been beaten out by Russell Westbrook?   He went to the Pacers, where he again hung up over 5 dimes a game as their starting PG. 

How good of an assist-guy is he?   Well, Derek Fisher's been the starting PG on FIVE NBA title teams.  He's playeed 350 more games than Earl, Started over 400 more games.   Fish has 3,470 assists in his career in over 1,110 games (dishing to Kobe, and Shaq, and then Kobe and Pau).    Earl has 3,436 in 756 games.   

He's a remarkably durable athlete as well - an incredible work ethic.   In a league where guys now sit out for a hangnail, Earls played in 756 of the possilbe 810 games of his 10 year career. - 75.6 games a season...

This is a true "two way street" win-win for Earl and SJU.   You couldn't possibly have a better role model for the incoming kids to be around this summer...

I can look up his stats also. He is a good player who is mostly used as a backup during his careers, that is a fact. I am glad he will be on campus and help show the news guys the ropes, especially the pgs.

"I can look up his stats also."

Look them up?   Earl's my favorite Bruin player of the last 20 years.   I gottem committed to memory!

Wasn't disputing you.  When I think of "backup pg" I'm thinking guys like Anthony Carter, CJ Watson, Earl Boykins, Wil Bynum, or a Steve Blake.

Just saying while certainly never a star, EW has been  step above what one normally thinks of as "just a backup pg".

"I can look up his stats also."

Look them up?   Earl's my favorite Bruin player of the last 20 years.   I gottem committed to memory!

Wasn't disputing you.  When I think of "backup pg" I'm thinking guys like Anthony Carter, CJ Watson, Earl Boykins, Wil Bynum, or a Steve Blake.

Just saying while certainly never a star, EW has been  step above what one normally thinks of as "just a backup pg".

Why would you think of Steve Blake as a "backup pg" and not Earl Watson? lol

Steve Blake has started 299 out of his 578 career games---a FAR higher percentage than Watson.

"I can look up his stats also."

Look them up?   Earl's my favorite Bruin player of the last 20 years.   I gottem committed to memory!

Wasn't disputing you.  When I think of "backup pg" I'm thinking guys like Anthony Carter, CJ Watson, Earl Boykins, Wil Bynum, or a Steve Blake.

Just saying while certainly never a star, EW has been  step above what one normally thinks of as "just a backup pg".

It's pretty clear reading this board since CRGreen came aboard that he thinks the world of Earl Watson.  I was always impressed with Earl.  FWIW I think of both Blake and Watson as better than backup PG's.

Crgreen,

Two quick questions:

1   Why do UCLA fans dislike Lavin to the extent they do? 

2. Has the dislike for Lavin among the UCLA fans lessened or intensified since Lavin arrived at StJ's?

I am sorry if you have answered this question before but I a relatively new poster.

Thanks.

Earl Watson in Las Vegas at Fab 48.  I'm sure him and Lav are meeting up.