KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Former University of Tennessee men’s basketball standout C.J. Watson will join the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame (SNSHF) next week.
The class of 2024, the 26th in the SNSHF’s history, will be formally inducted during a ceremony set for June 14 at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nev.
Watson is among five honorees, joining boxing referee Kenny Bayless, golfer Brady Exber and the broadcasting executive duo of Tony Bonnici and Jesse Leeds. The SNSHF includes prior members such as tennis player Andre Agassi, pitcher Greg Maddux, running back DeMarco Murray and basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, among many other notables.
A native of Las Vegas, Watson graduated from Bishop Gorman High School. There, he won two 4A state titles and two Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year distinctions.
Watson joined the Volunteers in 2002 and played on Rocky Top for four seasons, through 2006. He played his first three years for Buzz Peterson and then his final campaign, 2005-06, under Bruce Pearl and helped Tennessee to a 22-8 (12-4 SEC) record, an NCAA Tournament Round of 32 bid and an AP top-20 finish.
The 6-foot-2, 170-pounder started 118 of the 119 games in which he appeared as a Volunteer. He averaged 12.0 points per game for a total of 1,424, a figure that still stands No. 21 in program history 18 years later.
The talented floor general averaged 4.8 assists per game and accumulated 577 total. Those tallies remain fourth- and second-best, respectively, in Tennessee history. Watson paced the Volunteers in assists four consecutive years, one of just three players ever to do so, alongside Johnny Darden (1975-79) and Tony Harris (1997-2001). His 1.82 assist-to-turnover ratio still places seventh at Tennessee.
Source: UT Sports
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