This is a good signing. A strong point guard or combo guard would be an excellent complement.

Great news! This guy should be able to play a lot right away. A front line of Soko, Watkins and Abele would be pretty intimidating.

Do you see Soko as a starter next season?

The problem I see with that lineup is that there is no place for Jerry, Kadeem or Quevyn. One of those guys will start.

Last edited by DukesDan (11/15/2012 10:45 am)

Agreed. Abele may continue to be a good asset off the bench even with Andre gone.

I'm getting ahead of myself here! We are only 2 games into this season haha

This week off is killing me. Fortunately Dayton and Colorado tip off in a few minutes.

I hear ya Dan. We're going from famine to feast. No games in over a week to 3 games in 3 days. How good will we be feeling around here if we are 3-2 a week from today?

Somehow I don't see Abele as a full-time starter, especially in a man defense. I will say that he has looked much better than I expected prior to the season. We don't know what Datt's future here is and it's possible that Kadeem could be a starter next year with Soko, if Kadeem shows more as this year unfolds. It's pretty early to make those projections. A ready to play Watkins would be a plus!

Agree with that. Just sayin'.

steve19981 wrote:

One problem that I have with our fanbase is that we generally try to rush big men. Sometimes, bigs are able to step in right away ala Nicholson or the guy we missed out on who ended up at Iowa (his names escapes me). The vast majority of the time it takes until their 3rd or 4th year to really figure things out which is why I'm a huge advocate of using the developmental redshirt. If Watkins can contribute at a high level, it would be exceptional, but not likely. If that is your expectation for him for next season, I think you'll be disappointed. I'll be a little more cautious with him and pleasantly surprised if he exceeds my expectations.

Long run, I think he could be a serious player.

The name who escapes you is Aaron White, Big 10 Rookie of the Year I think. Not to beat a dead horse, but signing this kid might have saved RE's job.