Five-star junior Peyton Watson talks visits

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- Newly minted five-star junior wing Peyton Watson and Long Beach (Calif.) Poly didn't get a win on Saturday at the Nike Extravaganza, but pretty much everything else is working out better than he could have hoped for.

At this time a year ago, Watson wasn't yet a full time starter much less the national level prospect he is now. He grew, he got in the gym, he got better and most importantly the 6-foot-7 small forward stuck with the process.

"I've just worked hard and stayed with the process," Watson told Rivals.com. "Many guys I know would transfer in a situation similar to mine but I just stayed with the course because I knew I could leave a legacy at Poly and I knew with hard work it would play off."

A versatile ball handler, scorer and big time defender, Watson now ranks No. 19 nationally and has offers from programs like Arizona, Arizona State, California, Long Beach State, Maryland, Oregon, UCLA and USC. He's also got a front row seat to watch his younger brother and teammate Christian Watson as he appears to be headed down a similar path of improvement.

"It's the best thing ever, I love it," said Watson. "We get mad at each other, we fight sometimes but it's all for the greater good and I love seeing his progression and how he's growing up as a player similar to how I have. He's super long, he's got a lot of room to grow physically, mentally and with his game. I'm looking forward to seeing it and he received his first division one scholarship the other day from California."

Watson has already taken official visits to Arizona and Washington. He's discussing visits with Oregon and Virginia and is intrigued by Cal's offer to his younger brother. He went over his thoughts about each program.

Arizona: "The visit was great. I love the coaching staff, the city was great. Tucson is basketball USA. All of the fans come out and support you and show love so it's a great atmosphere to be in. It would be a great environment to play in because you know all of that love for the program is there."

California: "It is a great school and was great to hear about when they offered my brother. I went up there on an unofficial when I was a sophomore just to go to their elite camp and it's a great campus, great city to be in. Potentially playing with my brother would be something super huge in college."

Oregon: "We have talked about a visit but with the season it seems like I have a game every other day. I've been busy, they've been busy so it's just a matter of finding a date that works out for both of us. It's a talked about program nationally and their tie with Nike and all the uniforms and it's easy to get enamored with that stuff. But, I'm more interested to see with their coaches and how I would fit there."

Virginia: "The way (Tony Bennett) is playing Kihei Clark and the confidence he's instilled in him stands out and then obviously they've got a winning culture. They are just coming off a natty and that's something I want to accomplish in my college career. They are putting a lot of guys in the NBA and you can tell everybody that goes there gets bigger and stronger and that's a point of emphasis for me."

Washington: " The coaches are such great guys. Mike Hopkins, Will Conroy, David Rice and coach (Cameron) Dollar, you can just tell that they are really genuine guys. They were telling me the truth the entire time and it's a program I could really see myself feeling at home away from home. Seattle has a lot of other stuff going on, it's a great city and it would be somewhere that I would never not have anything to do so that could be big time."

Watson still has to become a bit more consistent on the offensive end and needs strength, but the path he's on is pretty hard to argue with and he's got huge upside. When his jumper is on, he's pretty much unstoppable and the fact that he's an elite defender with work ethic makes him an easy guy to bet on down the road.

This spring and summer he'll play in Nike's EYBL with the Oakland Soldiers and though he doesn't have a specific timeline for making a college choice, he's not looking to drag things out.

"When the time is right for me to pick the right college and I feel right about the college I want to go to is when I'll decide," said Watson. "I don't think I'll be a late guy, I think after EYBL is over at the end of summer I'll be narrowing it down and making a decision."