HAVING once come close to walking away from basketball all together, Demond Watt says he is enjoying the game again and being a part of a ‘special’ Cheshire Phoenix side.
The 25-year-old Chicagoan has been a revelation for John Coffino’s men this season, averaging 18.2 points and 12.6 rebounds in the league this year.
His performances have seen him named in either the starting line up or off the bench in the BBL ‘Team of the Week’ in every week of the league season so far and named Molten BBL Player of the Month for October, endearing himself to the Nix faithful in the process.
After coming close to quitting the sport at the end of last year following tough spells in Sweden and Finland, Watt revitalised his career in Iceland and is now fully focused on helping the Nix achieve their goal of silverware this season.
“Before I moved to Iceland I actually thought about just stopping playing,” said the 6ft 7ins forward Watt, a Texas A&M graduate.
“Playing for KR was a blessing for me. Now being here I feel we have a great team and hopefully we can win the Championship and cups.
“The BBL is a competitive league and there are some pretty good teams and I feel every game will be a battle.
“But our team is very talented and I think we have always been pretty good, it was just getting the pieces together.
“I think once we click as a team we will have a special group here in Cheshire.
“My main goal when I step on the court is to do everything and anything I can to help the club. “Whether its scoring, rebounding, passing or defensively, I do what I can.
“As long as we win, thats all that matters to me.”
Watt, who tipped in 21 points and took nine rebounds in the league win over the Bristol Flyers on Sunday, reserved special praise for the Nix faithful and the support that they have given him and the team so far this season.
“Having never been apart of a community ran club I didn’t know what to expect,” he said.
“After being here for a while now I think its great to be able to function and communicate with the fans and people who help out with the club.
“Being able to have all the support from so many great people makes the transition easy and knowing everybody’s a part of the club and has your back makes it exciting to be here.”
