I'm very sad that I won't get to see him play any more games for UT. I would take 5 of him on a team and like my chances.
Easily an all-time favorite, and if I'm making my "favorites" team it's him, Carlus Groves, Ron Slay, JaJuan Smith, and Wayne Chism. (CJ Black and Brandon Wharton coming off the bench). That team would be fun as heck to watch.
Lofton was by far one of my favorites to wear the orange. When he crossed half court the green light was on.
JaJuan never got appropriate credit either. That guy did all kinds of great stuff for the team that claimed #1 for a week. He made the press work, could drill it and was an athletic freak.
I hate when you have an all-time athlete type who is essentially wasted during a shitty period in which they played.
Oh I agree. And Pearl was never able to fill that role again. And his teams were never really as good again (despite elite 8). Yet somehow when names come up in conversations, Watson is always forgotten. Even moreso than Smith I think.
I still think Pearl's last team was going to be a great one until all the NCAA madness hit. You can, literally, mark the change in the fortune of our season once the word starting getting out about the consequences of it.
Major Wingate too, he had a really good JR yr and was an integral part of Tenn's success (monster gm against the Shockers in the tourney) before he too got stupid
I knew him fairly well, he was a good guy, but it amazed me he lasted that long before getting booted.