This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Rise Indoor Sports for our annual March Madness. The event featured a lot of notable teams, prospects, and overall storylines worth following—including DB Elite’s strong showing as a program. It’s clear that they’ve continued to expand, as each of their teams proved to be highly competitive throughout the three-day stretch. While they have several guys worth talking about, it would be impossible to ignore everything Brody Watkins showcased.
Standing at 5-foot-8, he’s not the type of player that most bystanders look at and expect to capture their attention. However, he’s a legitimate problem for opponents. Watkins is an incredibly tough, smart, high-motor point guard who involves himself in seemingly every possession. His rugged nature, nonstop energy, and sheer physicality are extremely rare—much less for a player of his size and age. Watkins fights for loose balls and extra opportunities as if his next breath depends on it. He’s a ferocious defender whose quickness and sharp instincts allow him to force turnovers at a constant rate. Watkins is a speedy transition threat who attacks the basket hard, makes great passes, and shoots the ball at a high percentage. He controls the offense with an impressive blend of pace, patience, and aggression. Watkins can score the ball in a variety of different ways and actively looks to take advantage of easy scoring chances, but consistently prioritizes getting others involved. Amidst a swarm of big men, Watkins routinely comes out of rebounding battles with the ball in his hands. Between his energy, poise, and electric identity, it’s difficult to overstate his remarkable showings.
Although he’s not the only Rolesville product on this team (AJ Roberts), one should expect him to emerge for the Rams sooner than later. Though small, Watkins cannot be judged by his size. He’s fun to watch, but also stands out as a clear difference-maker on both ends of the floor.
