FLOWERY BRANCH — For us old-timey fans, Chezley Watson is a revered name in the lores of Hall County basketball. From 1993-97 Watson was the undeniable star for an East Hall team that was among the most feared in the state.
As a freshman, Watson averaged 16 points a game and only got better with each season. In his senior season Watson and West Hall’s Michael Causey staged perhaps the greatest individual duel in the history of Hall County basketball during the finals of the 1996 Lanierland Tournament with Causey pouring in 48 points and Watson pouring in 51 as the two virtually matched baskets in the entire second half in one of the greatest Lanierland finals ever.
Watson went on to star at Virginia (1997-2000) before finishing out his career at West Georgia (2001). After earning a teaching degree, Watson was the men’s assistant at North Georgia for two seasons before joining longtime Jefferson girls coach Jason Gibson for three seasons (2015-2018) as an assistant.
In the spring of 2018, Watson left Jefferson to take his first-ever head coaching job at Flowery Branch. He recently got his first-ever win as a coach when his Falcons held off West Hall 59-57 in a Region 7-4A battle in Oakwood.
AccessWDUN’s Jeff Hart caught up with Watson to get his thoughts on things from becoming a head coach for the first time to the state of today’s game.
QUESTION: Chezley, I have to admit you’ve always been one of my all-time favorite players in my nearly 30 years of covering sports in northeast Georgia. Thanks for taking some time. What prompted you to pursue the Flowery Branch job at this point in your coaching career?
ANSWER: Well, it just kind of happened. Our family had moved into the area about six months before and I was still at Jefferson. I knew the area from coaching travel teams in the area over the years so I was somewhat familiar with the programs. The job suddenly came open and (Jefferson girls coach) Jason (Gibson) encouraged me to look into it. It was really the first time I had interviewed so I wasn’t sure if I would get it but it was good for the experience of doing that. I figured I would stay at Jefferson but then (Flowery Branch Athletic Director) Jimmy Lawler called me and asked me if I wanted the job. I couldn’t say no. This is a great place to be and I feel like it’s a hidden gem of a program.
Q: What has been the toughest thing about being a head coach that you may not have anticipated?
A: Probably the administration stuff. Jason had been at Jefferson for so long while I was there he had things running like a well-oiled machine. Raising money, dealing with boosters, there’s just a lot of stuff I’m learning about now that you don’t really have that much to do with when you’re an assistant. I have (assistant coach) David Hawkins and he has been around a long time and has been a huge help to me. Believe me when I say I couldn’t do anything without him being here and helping me and teaching me. He’s just a great person and a great person to learn from.
Q: You’re only a few games into your first season but do you find coaching a game as exciting as you did during your playing days?
A: I do. I really do. I still get the same chill bumps right before every game. I also have a hard time going to sleep after a game, which was the same for me when I played. I wasn’t sure what I would feel that first time but it was almost exactly like playing.
Q: You were an intense player and known for your practice habits and attention to the little details of the game. Do you still have that same drive as a coach?
A: Probably more so now, to tell you the truth. When I played (former East Hall) Coach (Seth) Vining would work with me and his son Adam on Sundays and any time we wanted to work on our game. He gave us that individual attention to help us get better. I never forgot that. That is what I am trying to do. I’m trying to put my energy into practice and training the guys. I love being in the gym with the kids and helping them to try and get better. My goal is to try and give every player that wants it the more individualized attention I think is needed to really develop as a player.
Q: That being said, how has the game changed, good and/or bad, at the high school level since your days at East Hall?
A: It may sound like I’m being critical but I like being honest. Boys don’t practice and train as much now as we used too and like they should if they really want to be the kind of player they want to become. Players today aren’t as skilled now as back in my day. The girls now train more than when I played and are working on developing their skills more than the boys are. The girls game, to me, has evolved more in the last 20 years than the boys game. The boys are playing more pickup games in the gym on non-game days maybe, but to really hone your craft you need to train and develop your game. Work on say just one type of shot or a particular move or free throws. The other night we were 6-for-23 at the free throw line. To me, that just means you’re not putting in the right kind of practice to get better. Playing games in the gym are fine, but training and developing your game a little at a time, to me, is more important in becoming a great player.
Q: Finally, which team was better: your 1995 East Hall team that lost in the second round of the playoffs, without one of its best players, or the 2005 East Hall team, led by Walter Hill and your assistant coach Brody Langston, that won the state title?
A: Oh, I think my team was better for sure. We only lost three games. One without our football guys, and then one in region without my cousin, Travon Watson, who didn’t play in the playoffs because he got in some trouble and Coach Vining kicked him off the team right before the region tournament. We had (current White County girls coach) Jarvis Davenport and Stephen Faulkner and Jeremy Lott and myself, and my cousin. If we had had Travon in the playoffs, we would have won state. That 2005 team was real good. They had Brody and of course Walter, who was just a tremendous player, and Frank Davis, who could light it up from outside. But what I think would happen is we were a much more aggressive team and Frank was not the best ball-handler so I would have guarded him and I doubt he would have had as many points as he usually got because he wouldn’t have gotten open on those screens with me on him. Jarvis and Stephen on the inside would have limited Walter. We had more shooters as a team so I think we would have jumped on them quick and definitely handled them pretty good. Maybe not more than 10 points but we would have controlled the game most of the way. It would have been fun to play them to see because we always thought the 1995 group was the best East Hall team ever.
Schedule for Friday, Dec. 7
(Games listed in alphabetical order by visiting team)
Apalachee at Jefferson
Cherokee Bluff at Cumberland Christian
Chestatee at Flowery Branch*
Commerce at Social Circle
Fannin County at North Hall*
Greater Atlanta Christian at Dawson County*
Johnson at Oconee County
Lumpkin County at East Hall*
Marist at White County*
Monroe Area at Jackson County*
Rabun County at Towns County
Southwest Atlanta Chistian at Gainesville
Stephens County at Banks County
Schedule for Saturday, Dec. 8
(Games listed in alphabetical order by visiting team)
Buford Showcase
Dawson County Shootout
Flowery Branch at Lanier
Franklin (N,C.) at Rabun County
Johnson at West Hall
North Hall at Forsyth Central
North Oconee at Jackson County
Riverside Military at Wesleyan (boys only)
Tallulah Falls at Lakeview Academy
Union County at Towns County
(* -- denotes region contest)
