The fifth member of the 2018 Hall of Fame class is standout guard Tony Watts.
2018 MSU Sports Hall Of Fame Class: Tony Watts Honored
September 28, 2018 | Men's Basketball
by Caleb Garner, Graduate Assistant/Communications
Note: Every day this week, HailState.com will recognize a member of the 2018 Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018. The class will be formally inducted at a gala Friday (Sept. 28) night at the The Mill Conference Center and recognized during the MSU-Florida football game Saturday (Sept. 29) in Davis Wade Stadium. Festivities get underway at 7 p.m. Friday and will include a cocktail reception, private autograph signing, seated dinner and awards ceremony. Tickets are available for purchase at msumclub.org for $100 per person. Proceeds benefit the MSU M-Club Alumni Association.
Over the long and storied history of Mississippi State men's basketball that spans nearly 115 years, 37 players have joined the elite 1,000-point club.
A laundry list of names highlights that illustrious list—household names like Jeff Malone, Bailey Howell, Jarvis Varnado, Timmy Bowers, Erick Dampier and Quinndary Weatherspoon, among others. Not to be forgotten is Tony Watts, who sits 12th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,491 points.
A four-year standout guard from 1989-92 for coach Richard Williams, Watts was a proud member of the MSU 1990-91 edition that went 20-9 overall and 13-5 in SEC play. That season, at the time, was the best by an MSU team since Babe McCarthy's 1962-63 squad went 22-6 overall and 12-2 against SEC foes en route to capturing the conference title.
That 1990-91 team, similarly, reeled in another SEC championship for the Maroon and White, while also helping State reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since that incredible 1962-63 season.
Sure, Watts may not be in the top 10 of MSU's all-time leading scorers, but that does not diminish his impact he had on future Bulldog success on the hardwood. His efforts, especially in that 1990-91 campaign, helped spearhead one of the most successful times in Bulldog basketball history—including its trip to the Final Four in 1996 under Williams' tutelage.
One of the key moments, not only in that season, but in his career, came on Feb. 9 in Humphrey Coliseum against an NBA talent-laden and Rick Pitino-coached No. 10 Kentucky. In that game, Watts started off cold, only tallying two points in the first half. Once the second half began, he went off—scoring 20 points and hitting key bucket after key bucket to keep momentum in the Bulldogs' favor. With the Wildcats surging late to tie it up at 78-all, Watts' layup with 1:23 remaining gave State the momentum it needed to overcome the UK comeback attempt and escape with an 83-82 win.
In his final season with the Bulldogs, Watts earned All-SEC laurels from both the Coaches and Associated Press after averaging 19.2 ppg and shooting a league-best 84.8 percent from the free-throw line. Just as impressive was the fashion in which he closed out his Bulldog career—scoring in double figures 30 straight games to finish his time with MSU. In that 30-game stretch, he reached double-digit scoring in all 28 games of his senior year in 1991-92.
In addition to his 1,491 points, Watts finds himself rated highly in a number of other MSU record book categories. He owns the ninth-most made field goals (1,217), sixth-most 3-pointers made (166), seventh-best free-throw percentage (80.9 percent) and eighth-most steals (154).
Note: Every day this week, HailState.com will recognize a member of the 2018 Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018. The class will be formally inducted at a gala Friday (Sept. 28) night at the The Mill Conference Center and recognized during the MSU-Florida football game Saturday (Sept. 29) in Davis Wade Stadium. Festivities get underway at 7 p.m. Friday and will include a cocktail reception, private autograph signing, seated dinner and awards ceremony. Tickets are available for purchase at msumclub.org for $100 per person. Proceeds benefit the MSU M-Club Alumni Association.
Over the long and storied history of Mississippi State men's basketball that spans nearly 115 years, 37 players have joined the elite 1,000-point club.
A laundry list of names highlights that illustrious list—household names like Jeff Malone, Bailey Howell, Jarvis Varnado, Timmy Bowers, Erick Dampier and Quinndary Weatherspoon, among others. Not to be forgotten is Tony Watts, who sits 12th on the all-time scoring charts with 1,491 points.
Tony Watts is a member of the MSU All-Century Basketball Team," M-Club President Bill Maxey said. "In 1991, he led the Dawgs to a Co-SEC Championship title and the NCAA Tournament, the first since 1963. On the court, he made almost half of every shot he took. If they had the ball, 154 times he stole it and was one of the best free-throw shooters in the game. Today, he is the Chief of Schools in Fayette County, Kentucky. Today, he will wear the ring only worn by a Bulldog Hall-of-Famer!
A four-year standout guard from 1989-92 for coach Richard Williams, Watts was a proud member of the MSU 1990-91 edition that went 20-9 overall and 13-5 in SEC play. That season, at the time, was the best by an MSU team since Babe McCarthy's 1962-63 squad went 22-6 overall and 12-2 against SEC foes en route to capturing the conference title.
That 1990-91 team, similarly, reeled in another SEC championship for the Maroon and White, while also helping State reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since that incredible 1962-63 season.
Sure, Watts may not be in the top 10 of MSU's all-time leading scorers, but that does not diminish his impact he had on future Bulldog success on the hardwood. His efforts, especially in that 1990-91 campaign, helped spearhead one of the most successful times in Bulldog basketball history—including its trip to the Final Four in 1996 under Williams' tutelage.
One of the key moments, not only in that season, but in his career, came on Feb. 9 in Humphrey Coliseum against an NBA talent-laden and Rick Pitino-coached No. 10 Kentucky. In that game, Watts started off cold, only tallying two points in the first half. Once the second half began, he went off—scoring 20 points and hitting key bucket after key bucket to keep momentum in the Bulldogs' favor. With the Wildcats surging late to tie it up at 78-all, Watts' layup with 1:23 remaining gave State the momentum it needed to overcome the UK comeback attempt and escape with an 83-82 win.
In his final season with the Bulldogs, Watts earned All-SEC laurels from both the Coaches and Associated Press after averaging 19.2 ppg and shooting a league-best 84.8 percent from the free-throw line. Just as impressive was the fashion in which he closed out his Bulldog career—scoring in double figures 30 straight games to finish his time with MSU. In that 30-game stretch, he reached double-digit scoring in all 28 games of his senior year in 1991-92.
In addition to his 1,491 points, Watts finds himself rated highly in a number of other MSU record book categories. He owns the ninth-most made field goals (1,217), sixth-most 3-pointers made (166), seventh-best free-throw percentage (80.9 percent) and eighth-most steals (154).
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