CHICAGO – Diante Watkins, a former Richard J. Daley College men’s basketball All American, will have his number retired at a ceremony prior to the Bulldogs’ 1 p.m. game against Lincoln Land Community College on Saturday, Nov. 21.
Watkins, who wore number 3 at Daley, played for the Bulldogs in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. The 5-foot, 9-inch point guard was a third-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American (NJCAA) as a sophomore after averaging 26.5 points, 5.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game and leading Daley to a 22-8 finish.
After completing his Daley career, Watkins transferred to Robert Morris University in Chicago and established himself as one of the top players in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as he was a two-time first-team All-American and the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year his senior season in 2011-12. Watkins averaged 24.4 points, 7.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.1 steals in his final campaign.
While completing his bachelor’s degree in Health Management, Watkins played for the Chicago Redline in the Independent Basketball Association in 2012-13.
In August 2013, Watkins signed a professional contract with SC Rist Wedel, a member of the 2nd Bundesliga Pro B League, in Wedel, Germany, where he played in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
In 2014-15, Watkins registered team-best averages of 21.3 points, 6.8 assists and 3.2 steals per game to help SC Rist Wedel advance to the finals in the Pro B North Division playoffs and produce a 22-11 overall record. In recognition of his efforts, Watkins was voted as the Pro B Player of the Year, Guard of the Year and Import Player of the Year. In addition, he was selected to the All-Pro B first team.
As a rookie in 2013-14, Watkins led the team with a 16.2 points-per-game average, tied for top honors in steals (1.1 per game) and placed second in assists (3.8 per game).
A graduate of Hubbard High School, Watkins was inducted into the NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame in 2014.
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