ASU men’s basketball lands class of 2023 4-star commit Akil Watson

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The Arizona State Sun Devils men’s basketball team on Wednesday landed a verbal commitment from class of 2023 four-star recruit Akil Watson.

Head coach Bobby Hurley tweeted “Forks Up” and the 6-foot-8, 205-pound power forward posted a pitchfork emoji within 40 minutes of each other on Wednesday morning.

 

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Watson is the No. 113 prospect in the class of 2023 and No. 22 at his position, according to 247sports.

He also had received offers from the likes of Illinois, Auburn, Creighton, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Stanford, Texas Tech and West Virginia.

“I committed now to lock it in,” Watson told Sun Devil Source. “It felt like a place where I’m really going to succeed and after I got off campus I just knew that’s where I wanted to be. The play style, the Pac-12, Coach Hurley all made it feel like home.”

Watson attributed associate head coach Jermaine Kimbrough, who was the head recruiter for the four-star commit, as the differentiator compared to other schools during the recruiting process, saying the duo has a “great relationship” that extends off the court.

“They said I would come in get a lot of minutes and do everything for them,” Watson said. “I would play defense, offense and be an impact to the team as a freshman.”

Watson averaged 11.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game as a high school junior last season playing alongside a Roselle Catholic roster that includes Duke commit MacKenzie Mgbako and North Carolina commit Semeon Wilcher.

“My goal is to come in as a freshman, be a leader, get minutes and just win,” Watson said. “I also want to improve my handle for the next level. That’s the main thing.”

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