Coaching keeps Watkins family close

Friday night was one of mixed results for the family. First, North Gwinnett (9-6) lost to third-ranked Norcross, leaving Tony one victory short of 500 for his career. Later, Kris and his South Cobb team (10-2) defeated Cherokee 62-52, setting up an important region showdown Saturday night at McEachern.

And as is often the case, Kris knew the outcome of his father’s game before his own team took the floor.

“There’s not a time when I’m not getting an e-mail from my dad or my brother wishing me good luck,” Kris said. “There’s times when I’m walking back into the locker room right before my game, and I’m getting an e-mail from one of them. It’s just really awesome.”

South Cobb broke Friday’s game open with a 15-6 run in the first four minutes of the second half that turned a 25-24 halftime lead into a 40-30 advantage. Cherokee (7-8) cut the lead to five points a couple of times in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as it would get.

As usual, South Cobb displayed a balanced offense. Nine players scored for the Eagles, led by Devyn Morse with 14.

Earlier this season, South Cobb’s boys and North Gwinnett’s girls won tournament championships. South Cobb won the Deep South Classic, and North Gwinnett the Jared Cook Classic.

“Christmas is always a very special time for my family,” Kris said. “My little brother and sister both have special needs, so it’s about the only chance my mom gets to go to games. She came to two of our games and got to go see my brother play. My dad won his tournament and then got in the car to come over and congratulate me once he heard. My dad’s the kind that will have one of his assistants try to contact me to find out the score of our game.”

The Holy Innocents’ girls team had the night off Friday. Tony Jr. and his team are 14-2 and ranked No. 9 in Class A.

“Katherine and I are both very proud of the boys,” Tony Sr. said. “It makes me feel good whenever they call and ask me a question, but they both have their own philosophy of the game. They realize you need to adapt and adjust your system to your players. They were both in the gym since they could walk, and they both pick things up very quick. They are real students of the game.”

Said Kris, “I cannot begin to express to you how much my father has meant to our family, and to watch him be more excited that we won the Deep South Classic championship than he was that they won their own tournament almost brought me to tears.”

Staff writer Michael Carvell contributed to this article.