For love of the game: Anton Watson hosts basketball camp at Shoot 360
Since moving to Spokane, Anton Watson has lived out the life that every young athlete dream of as a kid. He won not one, but two state championships in high school while being named the state’s Mr. Basketball as a senior. After committing to his hometown Division I basketball program, he’s been a part of three trips to the Sweet Sixteen and played in a national championship game.
To put into perspective how rare that is, only four other high school players from Spokane have committed to Gonzaga, let alone enjoy the success Watson has through three seasons.
But that’s not the only thing that separates him from his fellow Spokanites. While many have given back to the community after their career is wrapped up, Watson capitalized on an opportunity to pass down his love of the game to the next generation through a good old fashioned basketball camp.
“I just wanted to do a camp now that NIL allows it,” Watson said. “Dan [Dickau] reached out to me and said he could help me out, and it just kind of worked out.”
From July 18-20, Watson hosted a youth basketball clinic at Shoot 360, Spokane’s newest basketball haven that opened last fall. For a few hours a day, hoopers from third to eighth grade spent their summer mornings with the Zags’ basketball star to hone their skills on the court. Shooting, passing and ballhandling were the points of emphasis, as the facility’s array of analytically driven stations and machines made drills feel like giant video games, fitting for the young group of campers in attendance.
As if the tech-savvy gym wasn’t enough, having a local icon as a camp counselor surely made for quite the experience, overwhelming even for some. Because for the hardcore Zags fan, campers and parents alike, he was larger than life. They watched Watson and gazed with awe as the towering 6-foot-8 basketball star directed the daily activities and threw down the occasional one-hand dunk in between drills upon request.
Even for those like Malcolm Smith, a 10-year-old who’d been to basketball camps, being in the presence of Watson brought out some nerves early on. His grandmother, Bev, expressed how Smith’s mother had to strongly encourage her son to go despite him being apprehensive. Safe to say, the decision to go was well worth the jitters.
“I think this [camp] has been the most fun for him,” Smith’s grandmother said.
Campers weren’t the only ones feeling butterflies, either. This was Watson’s first time hosting a basketball clinic, which was made possible through NIL legislation and an agreement with the facility’s host, Dan Dickau. He knew the game well and had attended camps before of course, but the Gonzaga forward admitted that he, like his campers, didn’t know what to expect heading in.
“It was my first camp, so I just wanted them to have fun,” Watson said. “I know once you get into AAU and get older, it starts getting serious. But at their age, honestly, it’s about having fun and just being with your friends. It was super cool to see that.”
Fun, the motivating factor to play sports as a kid in the first place. The reason why collegiate and professional athletes still refer to their craft as “a kid’s game”. And on the first floor of Suite 1 on Francis Avenue, it was the point of emphasis as new bonds were formed through the game of basketball.
Of course, no camp is complete without games of “bump” and scrimmages to conclude an exhilarating week of hoops. Watson hopped in on the last game of the day, as he knocked down a few 3-pointers and one half-court heave to everyone’s amazement. Those on his team fed him the ball constantly, probably in hope of seeing a thunderous slam from their coach, but Watson would do his best to get everyone involved.
“[Watson] has worked great with the kids,” said Kevin Crosno, general manager of Shoot 360 in Spokane. “They’ve been waiting at the door for him to come in. They can’t get enough of him.”
With just 10 minutes remaining in the three-day-long camp, it was “Q&A” time. Campers eagerly gathered around Watson with burning questions they need the answers for, especially when it came to his opinions on some of basketball’s hottest topics. From naming the best player in the NBA to laying out his ideal starting five, he gave as much insight as he could before it was time to wrap it up.
Watson hung around to sign some autographs and take pictures with his new friends, an experience they surely won’t forget. Those who stayed the longest got to get in a few more shots before their parents beckoned to them that it was time to go. But who can blame a 10-year-old for wanting to hang out with his basketball role model for as long as possible?
Surely not Watson, who spent much of his childhood looking up to Gonzaga’s basketball stars. Now, its him who the youth of Spokane look up to, which is why he decided to partner with Shoot 360 and host a camp where he could be a true role model. He hopes to put on future clinics during his senior season.
“It was a solid turnout for the first camp,” Watson said. “I think it was pretty fun and I think they had fun too.”
