Rocket Watts

By the end of his high school career, Watts was a consensus four-star recruit and top-40 player in the 2019 class.[9][10][11] On September 22, 2018, he verbally committed to play college basketball for Michigan State.[12][13] Watts had been recruited by Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo since eighth grade.[14]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Rocket Watts PG / SG	Detroit, MI	SPIRE Academy (OH)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sep 22, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 38  247Sports: 39  ESPN: 33
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Michigan State 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 31, 2020. "2019 Michigan State Spartans Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 31, 2020. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 31, 2020.

Watts started his first career game on November 5, 2019, in place of the injured Joshua Langford against the Kentucky Wildcats. He was held scoreless, going 0-of-4 from the field while picking up 2 assists in 22 minutes played in the 62–69 loss. Five days later, against Binghamton, Watts collected his first career points, finishing with 5 in 23 minutes as the Spartans defeated Binghamton 100–46. On November 18, 2019, Watts recorded a then career-high 11 points to go with another career-high 7 total rebounds as the Spartans routed Charleston Southern 94–46. Watts suffered a leg injury in December 2019 and was forced to miss some time. At the time, he was averaging 6.5 points per game.[15] On February 11, 2020, Watts scored a season-high 21 points in a 70–69 win against Illinois.[16] He tied that mark of 21 points the next game, leading the team in scoring on February 25, 2020 as the Spartans won against the (then) higher ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, 78–70.[17] Watts played a crucial role in the Spartan's game against Penn State on March 3, as they came back from a 15 point deficit at half to win by 8. He put up 18 points, second on the team that night.[18] On March 8, Watts finished second on the team with 19 points in a 80–69 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.[19] At the close of the regular season, Watts was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.[20]

Watts tipped off his sophomore campaign by coming off the bench for 23 minutes, recording two points and three assists for Michigan State in a 83–67 win against Eastern Michigan. In his next game, an 80–70 win against Notre Dame, Rocket scored 13 points in his 20 minutes off the bench, good enough for second on the team that night. In addition, he tied his career high of 6 assists. In the Spartans 75–69 upset of Duke, Watts received his first start of the season. He responded by leading the team in scoring with 20 points, including 3 crucial late free throws to help stave off a Duke comeback. The next game, a 83–76 Spartan victory over Detroit Mercy, Watts once again received the start and led the team with a career high 23 points. He followed that up with 10 points and 6 assists in his third start on the season, a 79–61 win over Western Michigan. In the next game against Oakland, Watts ran into foul trouble early and wound up with 9 points in 22 minutes as the Spartans won 109–91 to improve to 6–0 on the season. In the Spartans first loss of the year, a 79–65 loss to Northwestern, Watts was ice cold, only scoring 5 points, all of which were in the final 4 minutes. Watts continued to struggle against Wisconsin, only scoring 5 points in 26 minutes as the Spartans dropped to 0–2 in conference, losing 85–76. He did set a new career high with 7 assists, however. In the next game, an 81–56 loss against Minnesota, Watts only scored 2 points.

On December 31, 2020, Spartans coach Tom Izzo stated that Watts would be moving back to his ‘natural’ position at shooting guard instead of point guard.

In MSU’s first conference win of the year, an 84–77 triumph over Nebraska, Watts scored 9 points coming off the bench, with two late free throws helping finish off the Cornhuskers.

On March 29, 2021, Watts entered the NCAA transfer portal thereby ending his career with the Spartans, ultimately transferring to Mississippi State.[21]

Watts was limited to 19 games as a junior due to injuries to his hip and elbow. He averaged 4.4 points per game while shooting 40.2 percent from the floor and 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. After the season, coach Ben Howland was fired and Watts opted to transfer to Oakland.[22]