Longwood University Athletics

2021-22: Veteran forward who played at a consistent level while serving as a team captain for a Longwood side that won the Big South regular season and tournament titles, the first in program history, to advance to the NCAA National Tournament…Started in all 33 games while averaging 7.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 20.3 minutes per game...Shot a team-high .561 (92-164) from the floor while also knocking down .807 from the free throw line (71-88)…Was second on the team with 53 offensive rebounds…Scored in double figures 10 times…Posted a season-high 16 on Jan. 5 against Pfeiffer while shooting 7-10 from the floor…Matched his season high with 16 points against USC Upstate on Feb. 10 while going 6-7 from the floor and 4-5 from the free throw line on ESPNU…That capped a four-game stretch that saw him score in double figures in each game while shooting .680 (17-25) from the floor and .889 from the free throw line (16-18)…

2020-21: Appeared in every game while making 22 starts in his first season in the program…one of four players to play every game…averaged 5.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 21.3 minutes per game…shot .618 (68-of-110) from the floor, the second-highest clip on the team behind fellow frontcourt mate Leslie Nkereuwem (.648)…grabbed a team-high 51 offensive rebounds…also led the team with 14 blocks…one of only two on the team with double-digit blocks and steals, adding 21 swipes…scored in double figures three times…hit at least one field goal in 27 of his 29 games…missed more than two field goal attempts just three times all season…played at least 20 minutes in 21 of his 29 games…scored a season-high 11 points against Hampton (Feb. 15)…dished a season-high three assists against Gardner-Webb (Feb. 11)…grabbed a season-high eight rebounds against VMI, adding eight points, two blocks and a steal in that effort…top 20 in the Big South in rebounding and offensive rebounding.
 
2019-20 (UC Riverside): Appeared in 25 games, all off the bench…averaged 2.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while shooting .569 (29-of-51) from the floor…helped UC Riverside to a No. 8 national ranking in points allowed per game…led the team in field goal percentage…grabbed 20 of his 73 rebounds on the offensive glass…contributed 19 assists, eight steals and five blocks…scored a season-high 10 points against Cal Lutherans, shooting 3-of-3 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the free throw line (Dec. 6)…during a five-game stretch from Nov. 29 to Dec. 19, shot .824 (14-of-17) from the field and averaged 6.4 points per game.
 
2018-19 (UC Riverside): Earned a starting role as a true freshman, starting 22 games while playing in all 33 contests…scored in double figures six times and averaged 6.1 points per game…also added 4.0 rebounds per game and ranked third on the team with 131 total boards…grabbed 43 of those rebounds on the offensive glass, the second most on the team…shot .506 (80-of-158) from the floor, the second-best clip on the team…played 21.3 minutes per game…erupted for a career-high 25 points in just 26 minutes on the floor against Bethedsa, finishing 11-of-13 from the floor (Jan. 4)…also neared a double-double with nine rebounds that night…registered a career-high four steals against Long Beach State (Feb. 23).

High School: A two-sport athlete at Liberty High School in Plano, Texas, in basketball and football…a two-time all-district first-team honoree…named the 2018 District Co-Defensive Player of the Year…helped Liberty capture two district titles in his career, including as a senior…reached the 1,000-point plateau at Liberty and finished his career ranked No. 2 on the program’s all-time scoring list…as a senior, averaged 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game…lettered four years in basketball and two in football.
 
Personal: Born Zachary Richard Watson…son of Richard and Tami Watson…has a half-sister, Leia.