Demarion Watson has entered the portal

[Fishhead]

Ok I’m going to get flamed for this, but oh well. I felt he was completely unutilized. He was not going to light up the scoreboard but his energy and defense was well apparent when he did come in to play. I’m also not comparing him to Dennis Rodman , but he was never a scorer either, but absolutely wreaked havoc with rebounding and defense. I don’t understand why there was never a purpose when we needed stops when the offense wasn’t doing anything for minutes at a time while the other team was scoring at will.

 

[madguy30]

So was Kenny Pratt’s game. He worked out alright.
I was a D Wat fan. Always gave max effort when he was on the court. More than a few other rotational players could say.

Pratt had a really good handle and quick feet around the basket and was more comparable to Niang without the three point shooting.

Not even remotely the same as Watson.

 

[mapnerd]

Really gonna miss this guy.

 

[5Cy]

Kenny Pratt played almost 30 years ago. The game was very different, and most importantly Pratt was a very skilled post scorer on a team that needed a scorer.

Watson played hard, was a great teammate (it appeared) and by all accounts a great Cyclone and student athlete. I hope he does well, and I think he will if he finds the right situation. But in the end, you have to provide more on offense to play for a team with Elite 8 type aspirations.

I know the game has changed, I was just making the point that an under sized guy can still be productive down low when they give effort like Watson (and Pratt) did. I never felt our team was hindered when Watson was on the floor. He was a good defender, rebounder, hustled, and would go aggressive to the hoop. Had he averaged 8-10 minutes a game I think we’d have been better off in the long run.

 

[madguy30]

I know the game has changed, I was just making the point that an under sized guy can still be productive down low when they give effort like Watson (and Pratt) did. I never felt our team was hindered when Watson was on the floor. He was a good defender, rebounder, hustled, and would go aggressive to the hoop. Had he averaged 8-10 minutes a game I think we’d have been better off in the long run.

I would suggest going back and watching Pratt and the way he moved with the ball compared to Watson.

 

[Irish1]

Watson was a favorite of mine beginning his freshman year. Part of me feels like coaching staff dropped the ball on this one. But I will follow his career and be cheering him on!!

 

[AuH2O]

I know the game has changed, I was just making the point that an under sized guy can still be productive down low when they give effort like Watson (and Pratt) did. I never felt our team was hindered when Watson was on the floor. He was a good defender, rebounder, hustled, and would go aggressive to the hoop. Had he averaged 8-10 minutes a game I think we’d have been better off in the long run.

The team was hindered when he was on the floor. Lots of experts sharing their eyeball tests to say TJ was making a mistake, but stats tell the story:

EvanMiya CBB Analytics

Advanced college basketball analytics used widely by coaches, journalists, and fans.

evanmiya.com

 

[CloneZone13]

Completely understandable. It's clear playing time was going to be very limited. Someone will get a good one. Thank you, Demarion!

 

[Frak]

Kenny Pratt played almost 30 years ago. The game was very different, and most importantly Pratt was a very skilled post scorer on a team that needed a scorer.

Watson played hard, was a great teammate (it appeared) and by all accounts a great Cyclone and student athlete. I hope he does well, and I think he will if he finds the right situation. But in the end, you have to provide more on offense to play for a team with Elite 8 type aspirations.

Yep. Kenny Pratt had the same finish around the rim ability that Keshon has. No idea how some of those shots went in.

 

[Frak]

Ok I’m going to get flamed for this, but oh well. I felt he was completely unutilized. He was not going to light up the scoreboard but his energy and defense was well apparent when he did come in to play. I’m also not comparing him to Dennis Rodman , but he was never a scorer either, but absolutely wreaked havoc with rebounding and defense. I don’t understand why there was never a purpose when we needed stops when the offense wasn’t doing anything for minutes at a time while the other team was scoring at will.

I'm not going to flame you, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But, I feel like Watson is more of a fanbase legend than underutilized. I get that he's a plus athlete on a team that was lacking athleticism, but with a team with 2 guards who would rather drive than shoot, you absolutely could not have wings out there that no one respected driving and especially shooting. We all saw what happened when Momcilivic was out and Heise lost his confidence...a clogged lane where Lipsey and Gilbert couldn't drive and there was no room for Jefferson or Jackson to operate. Do I think that Watson should have gotten more minutes? Sure...but it was more to give guys rest than anything. If you can't handle the ball and you have a flat, inconsistent shot, I have no idea how you'd expect to see many minutes at this level.

 

[Cyhig]

ISU fans love the players who aren't necessarily the most talented, but work their butts off, hustle, dive for loose balls, and give 100% each time they are on the court. Watson fit this description perfectly

I will continue to be a Watson fan no matter where he ends up. Hopefully he will land someplace where he can get ample amount of playing time

 

[SouthJerseyCy]

Pratt had a really good handle and quick feet around the basket and was more comparable to Niang without the three point shooting.

Not even remotely the same as Watson.

I feel like Rashon Clark was a better comp for Watson.

 

[MTCyclone43]

Does anyone know if Demarion receive his degree or is he on point to graduate this year? Thanks.

 

[clonedude]

The team was hindered when he was on the floor. Lots of experts sharing their eyeball tests to say TJ was making a mistake, but stats tell the story:

EvanMiya CBB Analytics

Advanced college basketball analytics used widely by coaches, journalists, and fans.

evanmiya.com

View attachment 146072

I was a big fan of Watson. Loved his energy and defense.

As to these stats above.... I'd like to know the context of them... you are comparing Watson to guys on the team who play a lot of minutes... and minutes when the game is still on the line. Watson generally was getting most of his minutes when the game did not matter. In that case... you can throw these stats out the window IMO.

 

[GoSTATE71]

Watson was extremely athletic and had good size and length. He was also a good rebounder and defender. I feel the staff really underutilized him during his time here.

 

[AuH2O]

I was a big fan of Watson. Loved his energy and defense.

As to these stats above.... I'd like to know the context of them... you are comparing Watson to guys on the team who play a lot of minutes... and minutes when the game is still on the line. Watson generally was getting most of his minutes when the game did not matter. In that case... you can throw these stats out the window IMO.

To an extent, but the data Was similar last year. The team was better with DW than Pavs, but there was a drop off below the rotation guys and DW again. Over 2 seasons and almost 1000 possessions that’s what the data says. Significant dropoff from the rotation guys.

 

[rosshm16]

There are still special players you can bring in via the portal.

CuJo will go down as one of my all time favorite players, even though he was only here for 2 seasons. Without the portal, he's probably never a Cyclone.

Some of my all-time favorite Cyclones were two-year or even one-year guys.

Tinman
Kantrail Horton
Deandre Big Swinging D*** Kane
Curtis

etc.

 

[Acylum]

Some of my all-time favorite Cyclones were two-year or even one-year guys.

Tinman
Kantrail Horton
Deandre Big Swinging D*** Kane
Curtis

etc.

Who TF is “Tinman”?

 

[5Cy]

ISU fans love the players who aren't necessarily the most talented, but work their butts off, hustle, dive for loose balls, and give 100% each time they are on the court. Watson fit this description perfectly

I will continue to be a Watson fan no matter where he ends up. Hopefully he will land someplace where he can get ample amount of playing time

This is what I’ve been trying say. He’s not an offensive juggernaut by any means but the guy hustled and made plays. Many times when he was playing I found myself thinking “that was a great hustle play by Watson” or “awesome block” or “good rebound”. Sprinkle him in a few minutes each game to give Jefferson or Milan a quick breather and we’d have been just fine.

 

[AuH2O]

This is what I’ve been trying say. He’s not an offensive juggernaut by any means but the guy hustled and made plays. Many times when he was playing I found myself thinking “that was a great hustle play by Watson” or “awesome block” or “good rebound”. Sprinkle him in a few minutes each game to give Jefferson or Milan a quick breather and we’d have been just fine.

I kind of liked the lineup when Watson played the 4 with JJ at the 5 along with CuJo and Milan. TJ had other thoughts though I guess.