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Cavaliers Get Deane's Replacement

(10/23/96) Chezley Watson, a 6-2, 196-pound point guard from Gainesville, Georgia, committed to the Cavaliers late Monday night, right after talking to me. With Harold and Jamal graduating, Virginia needed at least one point guard for next year. Watson fills that crucial need.

Chezley visited Virginia from October 18th to the 20th. At about 11 P.M. the night of the 21st, I spoke with Chezley and he said "I just had a great time" on the visit. He said that he would have to think about whether to commit to Virginia right away, before another point guard might commit, or to take his other visits and then decide. Obviously, Chezley chose to commit right away. "Me and my mom talked about it. I had a lot on my mind. She said, 'You enjoyed it that much?' I was like, 'Yes, Ma'am, I enjoyed it a lot.' So I talked to my baseball coach, and he was like, 'Chezley, if you really think you should go there, you got the opportunity, so go.' So I called Coach [Jones] and told him."

Chezley's basketball coach at East Hall High School in Gainesville, Seth Vining, said, "He came in and told me this morning he had committed to [Virginia] last night. I've been getting about a call a minute from every newspaper in Virginia I guess wanting some information." Vining said that Chezley is excited, and Vining is happy for him. "I think he's going to a good program. We're all real happy for him and I'm glad he's come to that decision. I look forward to him to have a good senior year here, and a great career in the ACC."

Chezley committed to Virginia for several reasons. First, coming to Virginia gave Chezley the opportunity to realize a dream. "When I was a kid, I always wanted to play in the ACC, and right here in my hands I got a great chance to go in and produce." Given that Virginia was heavily involved with fellow Georgia native William Avery, and that Chezley felt there was not room at Virginia for both, Chezley felt a need to grab the opportunity while it was there.

Second, the academics at Virginia were another great opportunity for Chezley. "Academics -- that's the main thing," Chezley said before the visit. "Wherever I go, that's the first thing I'm going to look at." Chezley liked what he saw. "The academics there are just tremendous," he said after the visit. Chezley is interested in majoring in sports medicine, and he hit it off well with the sports medicine professor at UVA. Chezley is a serious student who does his homework and wants to get a college education.

Third, Chezley felt very comfortable with Virginia's players. In planning his visit, he placed great importance on what they would tell him, because he felt "they won't lie to me. At least I don't think they will." When he got to Charlottesville, he hit it off with the players. "When I got through talking to them and meeting them, it was just like we were friends for so long."

Finally, Chezley liked what he saw in practice, and felt at home with the emphasis on defense. He said of the way Virginia practiced, "You go out there and bust your tail and still have a good time." He was impressed that they worked hard, and did not show anger at being worked. Chezley also liked the emphasis on defense. "I like that. [Jones] kept telling Harold to put pressure on the ball. My coach he tells us to put pressure on the ball also. That made me feel that much more at home."

Given that he liked so much about Virginia, Chezley had to jump at the chance. Early on, Chezley favored Florida State, and they were recruiting him. But then Devlon Arrington committed to FSU, "so that ended the process right there," said Vining. If Virginia received a commitment from Avery before Chezley committed, his opportunity to play in the ACC would have vanished. Chezley chose not to let that happen.

Even though both point guards are graduating, Chezley does not necessarily expect to start. "I might not start, but I'll probably be a contributor when I get in there. They need a point guard. They said to come in and do what I got to do. If that means start, I'll start. If it don't, I'll just produce."

Chezley brings a lot to the Cavaliers. He is a strong, physical player in the mold of Harold Deane. "He's got what I consider a pro-type body. It's very strong, very physical, which means that he can take the physical play of a college game without any trouble," Vining said. "He's definitely the strongest player on our team." Chezley can take the ball into the lane, and he can finish. His AAU coach, Norman Parker, said that Chezley has the ability to get into the lane and put the ball in over guys who are 6-9 or 6-10. He also is proficient at drawing fouls, and is an 84% free throw shooter. He gets up and down the floor quickly and has an excellent pullup jumper at about 16-feet. He shot over 40% from three-point range on over 100 attempts as a junior. Vining praised Chezley's recognition. "He's got great ability to feel what's going to happen next. I think a lot of times he knows what people are going to do even before they know what they're going to do. He does a good job of recognizing those things." Coach Parker was most impressed by Chezley's intensity, describing him as "relentless." Chezley has been described as a competent and aggressive defender.

Strong, relentless, penetrating, anticipating, aggressive defensively, sound like anyone familiar?

Coach Vining said that Chezley would need to improve his defense and his ballhandling to adjust to the higher calibre of competition in the ACC. While he has done well at both in high school, he will be facing bigger and quicker opponents in the ACC. But Vining is confident Chezley will be able to make the adjustment. "He's looking forward to the challenge, and I think he'll prepare himself well. I think Chezley's better years are ahead of him, I really do. I think the better players Chezley plays with the more effective he's going to be. It's going to be fun to watch him grow and develop as he has to get out there and compete with people who are stronger physically, and a little more talented athletes."

Chezley is a three-year starter for East Hall "and our teams have been pretty good the last three years," according to Vining. East Hall advanced to the state semifinals last year. Chezley has played wing in his first three years, and led his team in scoring. He set the school record for most points in a game as a sophomore with 45 points. Chezley averaged 22 points per game as a junior.

Chezley played point guard for the first time last summer. He attended the Nike camp, and played for the Georgia Stars in the AAU national tournament -- behind Avery. "I went onto the [Stars] for my first year. [Avery]'s been playing on the team for five or six years or so. So he's the man, and I had to come in and automatically get behind him. Ever since I've been playing sports, playing ball, I've always been a starter. When I went on that team, I wasn't a starter. I wasn't starting. I just didn't let that discourage me. I just got out there and played my game." Chezley impressed Parker, who called him a "super" catch for Virginia.

Chezley will play the point this year for East Hall, according to Vining. "He's going to have a real challenge this year because we lost eight seniors last year and we've got a lot of kids that will have to step up and fill some pretty big shoes. His leadership out there is going to be real key for us this year. He's got to take the bull by the horns and direct us."

After playing the point all summer, Chezley considers himself a point guard. He doesn't see it as a tough transition for him from the wing to the point. "It'll be the same. Because, playing point all summer and playing against the competition, it just leveled out. I played mostly wing [last year], but the times I had to go to the basket, I got the ball and did what I had to do for my team. So I consider myself a point guard. I considered myself a point guard last year."

Virginia is now committed to Chezley for next year. Although they are reported to still be pursuing Avery, both players will not come to Virginia. Avery, when given the news last night and asked how it affected his decision-making process, said "I won't go there." Succinctly enough put. Although Avery is the higher-rated player, and Chezley has not made any top-100 lists, he may turn out to be a very good choice for Virginia. Prep Stars Handbook rates Chezley as a "high-major prospect." And of course Harold Deane was not on ANY top-100 lists in high school, and he has turned out to be one of the best point guards in Virginia history. I have the same hunch about Chezley that I have about Ducharme, and that I had about Deane after reading a couple things about him before his freshman season -- that he is a player.

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