Jameel Watkins
Encyclopedia
Jameel Watkins is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...

 basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

. He was a college
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 standout for the Georgetown
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...

 Hoyas during the late 1990s but never played in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

.

College career

Watkins sat out his freshman year and started his career as a sophomore in 1996-97. He recorded a double-double in his first game vs. St. Leo
Saint Leo University
Saint Leo University is a private, non-profit, Roman Catholic liberal arts university established in 1889 and located in Saint Leo, Florida, 35 miles north of Tampa. The University is associated with the Holy Name Monastery, a Benedictine convent, and Saint Leo Abbey, a Benedictine monastery...

 with 13 points and 10 rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...

. Watkins averaged 9.0 minutes per game in playing 27 of 30 games in his first season of playing.

As a junior in 1997-1998, he saw extended time when fellow big men Jahidi White
Jahidi White
Jahidi White is a former NBA professional basketball player.-Basketball career:Jahidi White attended high school at Cardinal Ritter College Prep. While at Ritter, White teamed with future Duke University player Chris Carrawell, and ex-NBA player Loren Woods...

 and Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje
Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje
Ruben Bertrand Boumtje Boumtje is a retired Cameroonian professional basketball player. At 7'0" and 260 lbs, he played at center. He is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., U.S., and enjoyed a brief stint in the NBA...

 were sidelined with injuries. He played in all 31 games and made 18 starts
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...

, averaging 4.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1 block
Block (basketball)
In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...

 per game. He also garnered 16 rebounds in one game and also recorded two double-doubles. In his senior season, he led the team with 7.2 rebounds per game in playing all the 31 games. He also averaged 7.8 points and a little less than 2 blocks in 22.7 minutes per game.

Watkins gained a fourth year of athletic eligibility after sitting out as a freshman, he played his last season as a graduate student. Playing in all 34 games with 23 starts, he averaged 4.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.

Watkins made a strong impression at Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, or "PIT", is the United States' oldest amateur basketball tournament and the only postseason camp conducted for the top NCAA seniors only....

, making the PIT All-Tournament Team on 12.3 points, 9.0 rpg and 2.3 blocks per game. He helped his team win the championship by notching 16 points and 11 rebounds in the championship game.

Professional career

Watkins made his Philippine Basketball Association
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...

 debut for the Formula Shell
Shell Turbo Chargers
The Shell Turbo Chargers is a former Philippine Basketball Association team under the ownership of Pilipinas Shell Corporation. Shell has been a member of the PBA since 1985 until 2005 when the team filed for a leave of absence after the season. Shell sold its franchise to PBL team Welcoat Paints...

. He is slated to play for the Magnolia Beverage Masters
San Miguel Beermen
The Petron Blaze Boosters is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team has been a member of the league since its inception in 1975 and hold the most PBA titles with 19.The team is owned by the Petron Corporation, a subsidiary of the Philippines' largest food...

 in the PBA 2007-2008 season.

Watkins then made his way to China. He averaged 16 points, 10.2 rebounds an 2.8 blocks in 2008-09 season, and 15.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in the recent 2009-10 season. In November, 2010 he signed for Jilin Northeast Tigers
Jilin Northeast Tigers
Jilin Tonggang Northeast Tigers or Jilin Northeast Tigers or Jilin Tonggang are a basketball team in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Changchun, Jilin....

.
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