ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 23, 1996 TAG: 9610230056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
It didn't take a detective to tell Chezley Watson that Virginia needed a point guard.
Watson, who was in Charlottesville this past weekend, canceled all of his remaining visits upon returning to his home in Gainesville, Ga., and committed to the Cavaliers.
Watson averaged 22.1 points during the 1995-96 basketball season while playing a variety of perimeter positions for East Hall High School, which reached the state semifinals and finished 28-2.
Virginia's scholarship point guards are Harold Deane and Jamal Robinson, who also has seen playing time at small forward. Both are entering their final season of eligibility.
UVa's coaches had a chance to see Watson play point guard for the Georgia Stars, an AAU team on which his teammates included national top 25 prospects William Avery and Max Owens.
Owens has committed to North Carolina, while Avery, projected as a point guard by most schools, will visit Duke this weekend. Avery also has taken trips to Virginia and Kentucky.
The Cavaliers are continuing to pursue Avery, rated the No. 5 prospect in the country by one service, but the offer to Watson was made with no strings attached.
``The only difference between [Watson and Avery] is the outside jumper,'' said Georgia Stars coach Norman Parker, who said Watson's decision practically takes the Cavaliers out of the running for Avery. ``I think Chezley's a super pick-up for them.''
Seth Vining, East Hall's coach, said Watson was planning to visit South Florida, Georgia and Penn State before he committed to Virginia. Watson has been described as a ``B'' student who was just short of the required score when he took the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) in the spring.
Watson is listed at 6 feet 1 and 196 pounds and was compared to former Kentucky guard Tony Delk by Vining. Watson was 53-of-125 from 3-point range this past season and hit 84 percent from the free-throw line. He also averaged five rebounds and four assists.
``He'll consistently take the ball inside on 6-9 and 6-10 players and get the ball over them,'' Parker said. ``He has great court awareness, but what impressed me most was his intensity. The kid is relentless.''
Watson could not be reached for comment.
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB