5 Great Years: Anton Watson waves farewell to Gonzaga after playing his final game in a Bulldogs uniform
DETROIT, Mich. – Anton Watson has played his final game in a Gonzaga Bulldog uniform after five strong seasons from the Spokane, Washington, native as the Zags fell to Purdue, 80-68, in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 16.
Watson grew up in Spokane, dreaming of playing for the Bulldogs. He spent his high school basketball career playing for the Gonzaga Prep Bullpups, envisioning graduating to be a Bulldog.
Playing 151 games for Gonzaga in what was a legendary run as he stacked up 1,447 career points, 780 rebounds, 299 assists, 215 steals (which ranks second all-time in Gonzaga history behind only John Stockton, who had 262 steals), and 87 career blocks. He ended his college career shooting a blistering 58.6% from the field, 30.7% from three, and hitting 62.7% of his free throws.
In the Sweet 16 loss to Purdue, Watson picked up 14 points and grabbed four rebounds before he fouled out with 1:36 left in the game.
But as he reflects on his career, he will always have happy, positive, and impactful memories that he made while living out his dream, representing his home town and Gonzaga University.
“I’m just super grateful, super thankful. Yeah, it’s surreal. I haven’t really had time to let it set in. But I enjoyed the season with my coaches, my teammates, just all the fans, just all the love I’ve gotten this year. It’s been super special to me, and I know my family, they appreciate it too,” Watson said after the game.
‘The Spokane Kid’ has been impressing Gonzaga fans since the 2019-20 season. But this year, the spotlight and expectations were specifically on him without a ton of veteran presence around him, and he lived up to the pressure.
All with the help of his head coach, Mark Few, who left a very heartfelt message for a player that he has grown so close to.
“I’m so happy we delivered with everything we talked about when we first recruited him to come to Gonzaga,” Few said. “He’s had just an awesome career. I told the team in the locker room, feels like he’s won like 300 games at Gonzaga… and I don’t know what his winning percentage is, but I mean, he’s been to nation championship games, Elite Eights, Sweet 16s, made huge shots and huge plays… That’s just what he is. He’s a complete player. He’s my problem-solver. He’s been great, he played with both my kids… We’ll stay very close with him, and hopefully we can get him started on his pro career now cause he definitely deserves to keep playing and find a professional deal somewhere.”
He may have gone out with a loss, but Gonzaga Bulldog fans and his teammates will always remember him and be proud of what he did for this team, this university, and how far he brought this special group of players.
He quickly became more than just a player for GU, he became a part of this community that his teammates will miss and always appreciate for the guidance and hard work he put in.
“I couldn’t even tell you the amount of lessons I’ve learned from Anton, man. Unbelievable veteran, took me in right away. Didn’t have to. He’s been here for so long, and I’m just coming up as a freshman. He took me under his wing and taught me everything that I needed to know,” GU freshman Dusty Stromer said.
Ben Gregg has been by Watson’s side for four of his five-year Gonzaga career, and while he is grateful for him, Gregg’s instant reaction was disappointment that they couldn’t go out with a championship for Anton.
“Great teammate, great leader. We just wanted to win it all for him, and we couldn’t get it done,” Gregg said with a down look on his face.
It’s a hard, bittersweet good-bye for now, but it will most certainly be a very warm welcome when he comes back to the Kennel as a fan, instead of a player.