With Longwood men's basketball just a shade more than halfway through the conference season, Sam Hovan, Voice of the Lancers, had a chance to sit down with Zac Watson, a senior captain on the team, with an inside look into what makes him tick. Plus, Zac also walks Sam through the final five seconds of the Charleston Southern game.
The interview also shows up in the game day programs that are given to fans in attendance at Willett Hall.
What do you love about basketball?
I love that it's a team game. I love that I get to play with my brothers, guys that I've gotten to consider brothers over the years. And I love how no two games are the same. Every game brings its own challenges. Each one is something you can learn from.
What's it like to overcome those challenges?
It's rewarding to overcome a challenge because, like I said, no two games are alike. You put the work in and try to do the best you can do and learn from mistakes.
What's the best feeling you get when you are on the court?
I love it when it's close. You would like to be up by 20 every game, but I like when it's a close game and the adrenaline spike hits, and you're thinking about everything there is: how many timeouts, how many fouls you have, how many fouls do they have, what's the time, what's the score. All that kicks in when the adrenaline kicks in. Winning a close game, that's probably the best feeling.
Does the game slow down for you?
The game definitely slows down.
Walk me through the last five seconds of Charleston Southern where you come down and block that shot to win the game.
So Isaiah is shooting the free throw. If he makes it, I'm thinking we are up three. They have to shoot a three. Worst case scenario, we go to overtime. He misses. I try to get the rebound. I don't, and they get the rebound. He throws it to one of their guards. I look up at the clock. It's about three and a half seconds, and I'm in the back court. I'm thinking he doesn't see me because I'm running behind him, and I'm trying to decide, is he going to pass or is he going to shoot. He takes about two dribbles, maybe three, and I'm like, 'Okay, he's shooting, he's not passing.' So then I'm thinking that I'm behind him, I can block it. I just have to not foul. I don't know if you can see on the film, but I put both my hands up to show that I'm not fouling, wait until he shoots and just sneak in and block it. Some of my teammates told me that was kind of ballsy to do because of the chance to foul, but I didn't want to lose because it would have been the game winner. The time and score were in my mind.
All of that goes through your head in five seconds, when you're sprinting up the floor?
Yeah.
What's it like being a captain?
I'm honored that Coach Aldrich would choose me to be a captain because it brings responsibility. I share that responsibility with DeShaun, Cam and Leslie. Between the four of us, we all have a collective idea of what it means to be a model player for the team. It feels good to lead and have guys that I can lean on, ask questions and we can get through the challenges that come up together.
Texas to California to Farmville, what's something that has stood out about each place?
Texas is obviously home, and that's my favorite of the three. California was nice, nice weather, nice people. Obviously the beaches, you have beaches and mountains, and Los Angeles was really close and had a lot of things going on. So that was fun. And Farmville is obviously so far removed from California, but I love it here. Everyone is so nice, it reminds me of home a little bit. Just that southern hospitality a little bit. Everybody's welcoming, inviting to you.
You're on America's Got Talent, what do you do?
Hmmm, break down the last five seconds of a basketball game, haha. Probably some extreme movie trivia. No singing or dancing.
Move buff then, what do you like to watch?
Sci-fi movies are always interesting to me. They're always thought provoking. Maybe a drama or a mystery.
What kind of sci-fi?
Obviously the big ones like Star Wars and Marvel, I've seen all those backwards and forwards, but the dystopian ones, the one-off kind of movies that people may not have heard of seem to the be most unpredictable. They are the best ones that really kind of get you thinking.
What are three you would recommend?
Arrival, Interstellar, Arq
What are you watching right now?
On this extremely long road trip we just had, I watched the X-Men movies. I really liked watching Black Mirror too.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Flight, but that seems like a copout or the most generic. Who doesn't want to know how to fly? Either that or reading people's minds.
What's on your pregame playlist?
Probably nothing too crazy, pretty similar to everybody else. I throw some Drake on, some A$AP Rockey, maybe Tory Lanez. I need to get a little bit more high energy because I'm naturally kind of mellow. If it's too mellow, it's not good.
What are some of your hobbies outside of sports?
Movies, that's about it. I also like being outside in general, whether that's playing a sport or just hanging out.
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