Watson deflects taunts
He returns to court and sparks his mates
CLEVELAND -- Jermaine Watson said he heard everything. Boston College's senior guard heard every hurtful taunt aimed his way in yesterday's 85-65 NCAA Tournament triumph over Pennsylvania. They started the moment Watson entered the game with 12:30 remaining in the first half.
Given the news he made last week -- Watson allegedly jumped out the second-story window of his Brighton apartment, suffering severe cuts on his left ear and hand and an injured hip -- he knew he was bound to get an earful.
He didn't have to wait long, either. When he went to the line after drawing contact on his first basket, Penn students in the crowd tried to distract Watson by yelling, "Use the glass!" Later, when he was handling the basketball on the perimeter, a fan yelled, "Jump, Jermaine!"
"They hurt my feelings a little bit, but I got used to it," said Watson, who scored 13 points to help BC's reserves outscore Penn's, 29-8, to go along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. "I guess I was a target of amusement for them. That's all right. The crowd is going to heckle you, but that's cool. It kind of fuels you, though, to quiet them, to silence them with your play.
"They can yell whatever they want to yell, but they inspire you to take care of business. They help you more than they think."
Asked how he managed to block out all distractions of the week, Watson said, "You just kind of focus on what's important to you and this is what's important to me. What some people may say about me, it's just news. People like to make news and headlines, and that's fine. I like to make a different type of headline, and that's when the BC basketball team wins."
Coach Al Skinner gave Watson, who was medically cleared to travel Tuesday, the OK to play after yesterday's warmups.
"He warmed up well and he was feeling good and he was ready to go," Skinner said. "And, obviously, his enthusiasm was important and it gave us a big lift. The nice thing about it for him was that everyone was concerned about him being a distraction, and him not be able to play, and our team being distracted. Obviously, none of that came into play."
Pearl's wisdom
Wisconsin-Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl, BC Class of 1982, scouted the Eagles' victory over Penn and came away just as impressed as BC's coaching staff was with Pearl's team's 83-73 victory over fifth-seeded Alabama. "Their size is overwhelming," Pearl said of his alma mater's squad. "We're going to try to extend them a bit, but they have the size advantage. They shoot so many more free throws than their opponents, I know they're going to try and overwhelm us. I think both teams are going to have to bring their mouthguards. They've got tough kids, that's what you need to compete in the Big East. I can see why they weren't afraid of Connecticut." . . . Sean Williams, who had 11 points and seven rebounds, earned his 61st blocked shot, tying John Garris's season school record set in 1982-83. "I should've broke it, but they called a goaltending on me," Williams said, referring to a first-half call that resulted in a basket for Penn's Ryan Pettinella. "Oh well, it's cool. They've got to get me every once in a while." . . . When Skinner emptied his bench with less than a minute remaining, the coach said forward Craig Smith was responsible for the suggestion. "It was Craig's call," Skinner said. "It's nice to see that guys are concerned about their teammates and giving them the opportunity to play." Freshman John Oates seemed to borrow a page from Smith's playbook, using one of the junior's patented baseline moves to score on a pretty hook shot, marking his second basket of the season. "He probably did get that from me," Smith said. "I'm going to have to copyright it." Freshman Gordon Watt then knocked down his first trey of the season, giving BC a 22-point lead, 85-63, with 22 seconds to go. "Guys need experience and this will only help them get better," Smith said. "There was only one minute left, so why not put them in?" . . . BC's victory was its first in three all-time meetings against the Quakers, whose last trip to the NCAA Tournament two years ago ended in a first-round loss to Oklahoma State (77-63) in, of all places, Boston.
