Maurice Watson Jr.

Classroom

Maurice Watson Jr. is a journalism major and is on pace to earn his undergraduate degree from Creighton in the May 2017.

Character

Watson is a leader within the Creighton basketball program, both on and off the court. He’s arguably the most popular player with fans and often delays the starts of home games due to his pregame ritual of giving a high five to every courtside fan. His energy and optimism also makes him a favorite to deal with among local and national media.

Community

Watson performed 15 hours of community service in 2014-15, including time at the Siena Francis House, Children’s Hospital, Wellness Night at Florence Elementary School, helping at a Family Fun Festival, and Kids Against Hunger. He did even more community service in 2015-16, reading to a class at Saddlebrook, running camps at Jesuit School, Boys Town, and a clinic in Oleggio, Italy. Watson also participated in the Fullerton Elementary Walk and visited Quality Living Institute.

Competition

Watson is a preseason All-BIG EAST for the 2016-17 season after being a second-team All-BIG EAST selection in 2015-16. Going into this season, Watson led the nation’s active players with 639 assists. His 229 assists last season ranked ninth nationally and were second-most in Creighton history for a single season. Watson also led the team in scoring (14.1 ppg.) last year and was named National Player of the Week on Feb. 15, 2016, by CBSSports.com and NBCSports.com. His career-high of 32 points came in a win over No. 5 Xavier on Feb. 9, 2016. He was a two-time BIG EAST Player of the Week in the 2015-16 season and a four-time America East Rookie of the Week in the 2012-13 season while at Boston University. At Boston University, Watson earned first-team All-Patriot League in 2013-14 and was one of 20 candidates for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.