Edison State’s Watson Named to NJCAA All-American Team

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) has named Edison State Community College freshman Lacey Watson (Davenport North HS, Rock Island, IL) to the Division II Men's Basketball Second Team All-American and All-Region Team. 

"Lacey had an exceptional year," said Edison State Head Coach Kyle Vanover. "This was a great accomplishment for him to end the season with." 

The 6-foot-5-inch guard/forward was a scoring machine for Edison State this season. Watson reached 750 points in his freshman season by averaging 25 points per game. He finished the season with fourth overall point average in all of Division II. 

"Lacey was able to look to his teammates for support throughout the season, which presented him with the opportunity to be very versatile and expand upon his talents. This, in turn, allowed him to get these accolades," said Vanover. 

In 30 games played, Watson maintained a 51.1 field goal percentage, 65.6 free throw percentage, 36.9 3-point percentage, and pulled down 9.9 rebounds per game.

Watson secured five player of the week awards during his freshman campaign, one coming from the NJCAA and four coming from the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC).

Watson was also named the recipient of postseason conference honors: First Team All-OCCAC, Player of the Year Second Runner-Up, All-Defensive Team, All-Freshman Team, and Division-II All-District Team. 

The Chargers finished their season ranked number 13 in the nation, making an NJCAA Region XII D-II District tournament appearance. The team went 25-6 overall and 12-4 in conference play.