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5-Star PF Trendon Watford Commits to LSU over Memphis, Indiana, Alabama

Timothy Rapp

Trendon Watford, a 5-star power forward from Mountain Brook in Alabama, committed to the LSU Tigers on Monday.

Watford is ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Alabama, the No. 4 player nationally at his position and the No. 17 player overall in the Class of 2019, per 247Sports.  

The 17-year-old, who stands 6'9" and weighs 230 pounds, led his school to a state title during his junior season, averaging 23.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.2 blocked shots and 1.7 steals per game.

Watford also had the benefit of an older brother who played in the college game: Christian Watford played at Indiana from 2009-13 and also played in the NBA's G-League. 

"He's played at all three levels," the younger Watford said of his older brother, per Mike Miller of HoosierSportReport.com. "It's always great to get bits and pieces from his mind and his knowledge. He's been through every recruiting process, every meeting, every game."

As for the younger Watford, ESPN.com wrote in its scouting report that he is "a super-talented combo forward" who is "multi-skilled and can do a lot of things on the floor offensively. He has solid athletic ability but does not seem to have reached his athletic peak yet."

That scouting report added that Watford needs to improve on the defensive end, however, and the player himself also told Miller he wants to continue improving his motor and jump shot.

The combo forward is hardly a finished product, but his upside and potential are easy to see. LSU got a player who should provide an instant impact during his freshman season.

Watford is an enormous get for the Tigers, salvaging what was otherwise looking like a disappointing overall class. He'll join 3-star combo guard James Bishop and 3-star shooting guard Charles Manning in Baton Rouge, in the process making the Tigers a team worth watching next season in the SEC. 

LSU hasn't had the recruiting cycle of SEC rivals like Kentucky, Florida, Auburn or Alabama, but the addition of Watford is nonetheless huge.

   

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