Maurice Watson no longer considering Penn

Last week Kevin Esteves dutifully reported on the stellar summer of Maurice Watson, a one-time Penn men's basketball recruit from Philly. Well, to close the book on this one, Watson no longer lists Penn among his options.

Last spring he told the DP that Penn was his top choice. Then he hit the summer AAU circuit and blew up, attracting suitors from all over — 19 in all. Today, according to The Recruit Scoop, Watson listed his top 9, none of which include the letters PENN.

@TheRecruitScoop: Maurice Watson has cut his list to 9: Virginia, Boston, Niagara, Texas Tech, Hofstra, Northeastern, La Salle, Quinnipiac & Long Beach St.

see Kevin's insightful Buzz post)

Depending on how his recruiting plays out, Penn fans may get to see Watson with some regularity. Watson told the Inquirer's Keith Pompey that he enjoyed his visit to La Salle.

"I like the way the coach [John Giannini] didn't sugar-coat anything," Watson said. "The honesty was there. They didn't have the best facility. He mentioned that.
"But it's not about the place sometimes. It's about the people around it."