Aug. 23, 2004

Columbia, Mo. - University of Missouri Head Basketball Coach Quin Snyder announced on Monday that Marcus Watkins will join the Tiger basketball season for the 2004-05 season. Watkins, who is the son of Tiger Associate Head Coach Melvin Watkins, will be a junior and will be eligible to compete immediately. "Marcus will fit in well with our team and the culture we have established here at Mizzou," Snyder said. "He is a very athletic, well-rounded player and is also a quality student. We are excited to have him join our family." Watkins, who played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Texas A&M, played in 55 of the Aggies 56 games over the course of the past two years. The talented shooting guard posses highlight-reel athleticism and is capable of some big-time finishes at the rim. He averaged 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore, knocking down 49.1 percent of his shots from the field. Watkins also handed out 20 assists (and only 12 turnovers) on the season and scored a career-high 13 points in 16 minutes against Alabama A&M. He reached double figures again five games later, scoring 10 points while grabbing six boards against Grambling. As a freshman, Watkins averaged 2.6 points-per-game including a season-high 12 points against Louisiana-Monroe. Prior to joining the Aggies, Watkins was a prep standout at A&M Consolidated in College Station. He was ranked as the No. 64 rising senior in the country by CNN/SI and also earned first-team Class 5A All-State honors by the Texas Association of Basketball and the Texas Sports Writers Association. He scored 50 points or more twice during his career including a career-high 51 points against Houston Wheatley on his way to setting the school's single season and career scoring marks. The Tigers begin classes today and will begin preseason individual workouts shortly thereafter. For more information on Missouri basketball, log on to www.mutigers.com.