Florida State University Athletics
Jamir Watkins: Defense Is His Calling Card
3/4/2024 9:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – It's in the eyes of the opponent for Florida State's Jamir Watkins who is one of the best defenders in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Watkins enters the Seminoles' final regular-season road game at Pittsburgh ranked fifth in the ACC with a career-high 1.8 steals per game average, ranked 14th in the ACC with a career-high 0.9 blocked shots per game average, and ranked within the league's top 20 with a career-high 5.7 rebounds per game average.
Watkins enters Florida State's game against Pittsburgh having earned at least one steal in 11 consecutive games – each game since January 23 against Syracuse. He has earned 25 steals in the last 11 games and is averaging 2.3 steals per game during his steals streak.
How well Watkins and his teammates see into the Panthers' eyes will go a long way to the Seminoles' finding success during their only game of the regular season against Pittsburgh at the Peterson Events Center on Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. The game between Florida State and Pittsburgh will be televised on ESPN2.
"Once I see that they are not certain what they want to do with the ball, then I know I've got them," said Watkins who has at least one steal in 24 of Florida State's 29 games this season. "As soon as I see the man I am up against isn't certain of where he wants to go with the ball because of how I am guarding him, I try to keep the ball in their weak side hand. From there, I see how well they can play with the ball in their non-dominant hand."
Watkins has looked into the eyes of many opponents this season and come away with a single-season career-high of 52 steals. He has earned his career-high of four steals in four different games this season including the Seminoles' most recent game against Georgia Tech. Watkins has earned multiple steals in 16 different games in his first season as a Seminole.
The opportunity to become a more complete defender is one of the main reasons Watkins chose Florida State after entering the Transfer Portal following his third year at VCU.
Under legendary Head Coach Leonard Hamilton and his staff, Florida State has long been known as one of the best defensive teams in the ACC and the nation. The Seminoles enter Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh ranked second in the ACC in team steals and third in blocked shots.
Watkins has always been a defensive-minded player and excelled in a system similar to the one that has made the Seminoles famous for their defense. He totaled 64 steals in two seasons and 61 games (1.1 spg) and blocked 23 shots in 25 games as a redshirt sophomore during the 2022-23 season.
"Florida State was a great fit for me when I decided to transfer from VCU," said Watkins. "Playing defense under Coach Ham and his staff is very similar to the system we played at VCU. The opportunity to become a better defender, and a better basketball player, was definitely one of the reasons I chose Florida State."
Hamilton is happy his leading scorer and rebounder chose Tallahassee as his basketball home.
"All of the defenses are being set to guard Jamir," said Hamilton. "He seems to always find a way to produce the numbers that give us a chance to be successful. You have to admire and respect that Jamir is one of those guys that finds a way to be the stable player in our system, and we seem to all play off of him."
Watkins, who currently leads the Seminoles in scoring, rebounding, and steals, while ranking second in assists, considers himself to be a complete player who can excel on both offensive and defense.
Offensively, he is ranked 14th in the ACC in scoring with a career-high 15.1 points per game scoring average. He has scored in double figures in a career-best 15 consecutive games entering Tuesday's game against the Panthers.
But it's on the defensive end of the court where he feels he thrives the most.
"I feel like I have a knack for the ball on defense," said Watkins. "I try to move my feet and guard the ball as well as I can. I feel that I have a good sense of where offensive players are trying to go. I think my defense keeps me on the floor, and my defense translates to my success on the offensive end as well."
Watkins counts on his high basketball IQ and desire to be disruptive as his best attributes as a defender.
"My sense and my knack for knowing where the basketball is, and where the opposing team will move the ball, are the two main things that have helped me become a good defender," said Watkins, who considers himself to be a strong on-ball defender.
"I play good off-ball defense, but I would say I am a better on-ball defender," said Watkins. "I think my ability to keep a player in front of me and guard him full court helps me on defense. In my mind, I tell myself that I won't be scored on."
As seen on Saturday against Georgia Tech, and throughout the season, Watkins has an incredible ability to quickly turn defense into offense. Watkins earned an ESPN SportsCenter top-10 play with a first-half steal near midcourt and an impressive dunk over the Yellow Jacket's defense on the road in ACC Play.
"Once I get a steal, all I am thinking about is putting the ball in the basket and helping my team," said Watkins. "If I can't get all the way to the basket, I want to make plays for my team so we can build energy, force turnovers, and continue to score."
Watkins enters the Seminoles' final regular-season road game at Pittsburgh ranked fifth in the ACC with a career-high 1.8 steals per game average, ranked 14th in the ACC with a career-high 0.9 blocked shots per game average, and ranked within the league's top 20 with a career-high 5.7 rebounds per game average.
Watkins enters Florida State's game against Pittsburgh having earned at least one steal in 11 consecutive games – each game since January 23 against Syracuse. He has earned 25 steals in the last 11 games and is averaging 2.3 steals per game during his steals streak.
How well Watkins and his teammates see into the Panthers' eyes will go a long way to the Seminoles' finding success during their only game of the regular season against Pittsburgh at the Peterson Events Center on Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. The game between Florida State and Pittsburgh will be televised on ESPN2.
"Once I see that they are not certain what they want to do with the ball, then I know I've got them," said Watkins who has at least one steal in 24 of Florida State's 29 games this season. "As soon as I see the man I am up against isn't certain of where he wants to go with the ball because of how I am guarding him, I try to keep the ball in their weak side hand. From there, I see how well they can play with the ball in their non-dominant hand."
Watkins has looked into the eyes of many opponents this season and come away with a single-season career-high of 52 steals. He has earned his career-high of four steals in four different games this season including the Seminoles' most recent game against Georgia Tech. Watkins has earned multiple steals in 16 different games in his first season as a Seminole.
The opportunity to become a more complete defender is one of the main reasons Watkins chose Florida State after entering the Transfer Portal following his third year at VCU.
Under legendary Head Coach Leonard Hamilton and his staff, Florida State has long been known as one of the best defensive teams in the ACC and the nation. The Seminoles enter Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh ranked second in the ACC in team steals and third in blocked shots.
Watkins has always been a defensive-minded player and excelled in a system similar to the one that has made the Seminoles famous for their defense. He totaled 64 steals in two seasons and 61 games (1.1 spg) and blocked 23 shots in 25 games as a redshirt sophomore during the 2022-23 season.
"Florida State was a great fit for me when I decided to transfer from VCU," said Watkins. "Playing defense under Coach Ham and his staff is very similar to the system we played at VCU. The opportunity to become a better defender, and a better basketball player, was definitely one of the reasons I chose Florida State."
Hamilton is happy his leading scorer and rebounder chose Tallahassee as his basketball home.
"All of the defenses are being set to guard Jamir," said Hamilton. "He seems to always find a way to produce the numbers that give us a chance to be successful. You have to admire and respect that Jamir is one of those guys that finds a way to be the stable player in our system, and we seem to all play off of him."
Watkins, who currently leads the Seminoles in scoring, rebounding, and steals, while ranking second in assists, considers himself to be a complete player who can excel on both offensive and defense.
Offensively, he is ranked 14th in the ACC in scoring with a career-high 15.1 points per game scoring average. He has scored in double figures in a career-best 15 consecutive games entering Tuesday's game against the Panthers.
But it's on the defensive end of the court where he feels he thrives the most.
"I feel like I have a knack for the ball on defense," said Watkins. "I try to move my feet and guard the ball as well as I can. I feel that I have a good sense of where offensive players are trying to go. I think my defense keeps me on the floor, and my defense translates to my success on the offensive end as well."
Watkins counts on his high basketball IQ and desire to be disruptive as his best attributes as a defender.
"My sense and my knack for knowing where the basketball is, and where the opposing team will move the ball, are the two main things that have helped me become a good defender," said Watkins, who considers himself to be a strong on-ball defender.
"I play good off-ball defense, but I would say I am a better on-ball defender," said Watkins. "I think my ability to keep a player in front of me and guard him full court helps me on defense. In my mind, I tell myself that I won't be scored on."
As seen on Saturday against Georgia Tech, and throughout the season, Watkins has an incredible ability to quickly turn defense into offense. Watkins earned an ESPN SportsCenter top-10 play with a first-half steal near midcourt and an impressive dunk over the Yellow Jacket's defense on the road in ACC Play.
"Once I get a steal, all I am thinking about is putting the ball in the basket and helping my team," said Watkins. "If I can't get all the way to the basket, I want to make plays for my team so we can build energy, force turnovers, and continue to score."
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