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We continue our season preview coverage with Mississippi assistant coach Levi Watkins. He was hired by head coach Kermit Davis last year and helped the Rebels get off to a 13-2 start and make the NCAA tourney before losing to Oklahoma. He is no stranger to postseason play, having made multiple NCAA tourneys as a player at NC State. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Watkins about being a Parade All-American and coaching 1 of the best players in the SEC.
In 2001 you were named a Parade All-American at Montrose Christian: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Kwame Brown/Channing Frye/LeBron James/other)? That class was pretty good. It included Julius Hodge, who was my teammate for 4 years at NC State where we had a lot of success together. Kwame was a #1 pick and was very talented: Tyson Chandler/Eddy Curry also went straight from high school to the NBA. We also had guards like Dajuan Wagner/Mo Williams/TJ Ford: it was a special class. I even played with 3 guys at Montrose who went on to play at Georgetown.
As a player at NC State your team lost its final NCAA tourney game by 2-3 PTS for 3 straight years (2002-2004): how great was it to finally beat UConn in 2005 by 3 PTS to make it to the Sweet 16? It was a special time. They seemed to be on our side of the bracket every single year and had a team of really good future pros including Rudy Gay/Josh Boone. We battled a lot of injuries during that season so it was nice to finally get over the hump.
How did you get into coaching? I approached my college coach Herb Sendek during my senior season. I had a couple of serious injuries during college and was debating some opportunities to play professionally. 1 of our assistants Larry Hunter took over as head coach of Western Carolina. It was a quick transition: I graduated on a Saturday and started in this profession at my alma mater on a Monday!
You were 1 of 7 SEC teams who made the NCAA tourney as top-10 seeds last March: where do you think that your conference ranks among the best in the nation? It is a pretty good conference. The year before we had 8 teams in the NCAA tourney and we are projected to have 9-10 this year. There is a lot of good talent/athleticism and everyone can recruit really well. I do not see it changing anytime soon due to the commitment from each school to its basketball program after being a football league for a long time.
In the 2019 NCAA tourney you lost to Oklahoma: what did your team learn from that loss that will help them this year? A lot of people were patting us on our back and praising us during the year due to our success but we fell short at the end. It has motivated all of our returning guys to get back to the NCAA tourney and then advance. The guys got a taste of it and it made them even hungrier during the offseason.
You work for Coach Kermit Davis: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is my 5th boss. I have learned a lot from all of them but Kermit has a great basketball mind and is a very hard worker. Whether we are working out in May or practicing the day before a big game he is consistent and makes sure that everything has a purpose. He has won at a high level during his entire life at many different programs so his resume speaks for itself. His passion/IQ are great and we have a purpose every day.
As an assistant coach you do a little of everything including recruiting, player development, scouting, community relations, etc.: what is your favorite part of the job? All of it is important. Recruiting is huge because even if you have great tactics you need a certain talent level at your program. I have passion for every part of my job. I have worked in the profession since 2001 so I know every aspect. You have to compete in every aspect and find any edge you can.
Your non-conference schedule includes games against Penn State/Oklahoma State/Syracuse/Butler: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? You did not mention Memphis, who has a great recruiting class and is only 1 hour away from us. We will take them all seriously because if you want to make the NCAA tourney then you have to beat those kinds of teams on your schedule. They all present challenges but our guys will be fired up to play a team like Memphis.
The only senior on your roster is SG Breein Tyree, who was named All-SEC 1st team last year: what makes him such a great player, and how much pressure is there on him to be a leader this year? He is very talented and is the leading returning scorer in the SEC. He has worked really hard and has been locked in all summer on all of the little things like eating/training right. He got a lot of experience as a junior but is embracing his new role as the leader who is beginning his last rodeo. We expect him to be even better and he is ready for the challenge.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We really try to stay away from that. Everyone wants to compete for championships and to do that you just have to beat the teams on your schedule. Right now we are preparing for a scrimmage later this month, then we start November with an exhibition game, and then the regular season starts a few days later.