The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Countdown To Spain: Q&A With Denzell Watts
7/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 16, 2014
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Members of the UAB men's basketball team will sit down with UABSports.com over the next five weeks as the squad prepares for its foreign trip to Spain on Aug. 16-23.
Wednesday's question and answer session features sophomore guard Denzell Watts, who enters his second season with the Blazers. The Flint, Mich. native averaged 19.5 minutes per game in Conference USA action as a freshman and was fourth on the team in assists with 42 on the year. Watts finished the year with perhaps his best performance against Charlotte in the 2014 C-USA Tournament, knocking in 4-of-6 from the field and scoring 10 points against the 49ers.
Below is a Q&A with the Blazer guard:
Q: What are you looking forward to most in Spain?
A: "I am definitely excited to be getting out of the country for the first time and having this experience with all of my teammates. It will be beneficial for the team to experience a different type of talent than we are used to playing and will also help us bond together before the season starts. I really appreciate Coach Haase and everyone here at UAB for letting us go on this once in a lifetime trip."
Q: How does a trip like this help with team chemistry?
A: "It helps tremendously. With such a new team and so many new players, it is essential for us to get the opportunity to play games together, and the early start allows us to work on team chemistry before the beginning of the season. We have such a strong freshman class coming in that will contribute right away, so this helps give us some games with each other against real competition before we start the season."
Q: In regards to it being such a new team, how do you feel the new guys are fitting in?
A: "Things are really going great. All the new guys are stepping up and learning quickly and we are already clicking as a team. I feel like we are already becoming a tight-knit group and the trip to Spain is only going to help us."
Q: You were the backup point guard last season and played very well during C-USA play ending the season on a strong note. How do you view your role going into the new season?
A: "I am going to continue to do what I did last season and play to the best of my ability to help this team succeed. I will do whatever Coach Haase needs me to do and keep working to improve my game."
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