Virginia Commonwealth forward transfer Jamir Watkins called his official visit to Arkansas “great.”
Watkins, 6-7, 210 pounds, averaged 9.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and blocked 23 shots while starting 17 of 35 games last season.
He shot 41.3% from the field, 31.9% beyond the three-point line and 72.1% at the free throw line. He detailed what impressed him during his trip.
“The environment and the coaches and the love they have for their players,” said Watkins, who arrived Thursday afternoon and left early Saturday afternoon. “Just their past experience of being NBA coaches. Like the players they had before and the position they put them in to get to the next level.”
Watkins, who entered the NCAA transfer portal March 30, missed the 2020-21 season after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee prior to the season.
He was third on the team in scoring at 7.2 points per game as a freshman, and he averaged 18.3 minutes. Watkins appeared in all 26 games and started twice.
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman and and members of his coaching staff have 52 combined years of NBA experience, and Watkins sees the staff helping him reach his goal of playing at the highest level.
“I think with their experience and what they know, they can definitely help me to prepare myself and work to where I need to be working to execute on and off the court as far as being a pro,” he said.
A 3-star recruit by 247Sports in the 2020 class, Watkins committed to the Rams over Seton Hall, St. John’s, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and other programs.
Musselman is known to be high energy, and he and Temple transfer Khalif Battle witnessed that firsthand.
“He brings off great energy to me and Khalif. We had a great visit. We had a good time,” said Watkins, who was teammates with Battle at Trenton Catholic High School in New Jersey. “Every time we met with him, it’s been nothing but good energy.”