ASU senior guard Tenaya Watson doesn’t want to think about the postseason quite yet. The upcoming games against Oregon and Oregon State have to be dealt with before the NCAA Tournament.
“I really haven’t thought about that yet,” Watson said. “I’m waiting until we win these two games and the Pac-10 tournament. Then we’ll find out.”
That steady, take-things-as-they-come approach is what has set Watson apart during her two years as a Sun Devil. When it became apparent that fellow senior guard Dymond Simon was going to miss the 2009-2010 season, Watson filled in.
And this season, when the team needed someone to provide that spark of energy on both defense and offense, Watson has been there with speed and tenacity.
“I think Tenaya’s doing a good job,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “Any time during this stretch of the season, your seniors tend to make a big difference.”
After Saturday’s loss to UCLA, Watson was one of ASU’s bright spots, Turner Thorne said.
“I really thought probably of anybody on the team, Tenaya probably did about what she could do,” Turner Thorne said. “She was trying to make plays, got some steals, and she did some good things.”
This season Watson leads the team in steals and is third in rebounding, both examples of the hardworking player she is.
She hasn’t had very long to adjust to Division I basketball, either. Watson played two seasons at Central Arizona, where she won a NJCAA championship in 2009.
But she was ready to move on, and Watson said transferring to ASU was a great choice.
“I’m very happy, because I got to meet some new people and basically they’re now my family,” Watson said.
No transition is easy, but she said the coaching staff and all the players really made it easy to adjust.
“I worked with them, and they helped me work with them and helped me learn through the process,” Watson said.
She’s not the only transfer, either. Redshirt junior guard Markisha Patterson and junior Olivia Major both came from Central Arizona as well.
“It helps having people who’ve been through what I’ve been through and are going through what we’re going through right now,” Watson said.
Reach the reporter at egrasser@asu.edu
