Sports

<< Previous   of   Next >> Jennifer Buchanan/The Herald  (click to enlarge) Explosion guard Donald Watts (center) goes for a rebound in between Central Oregon's Jadae Bonds (left) and Donny Woods (right) in the second quarter.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, June 28, 2008 End of the road for Explosion's Watts By John Boyle Herald Writer MONROE -- A storied local basketball career likely ended in front of a small crowd in a high school gym Friday night. Donald Watts, a Washington state player of the year in high school, a standout at the University of Washington, and the son of a Seattle basketball legend, played what he thinks will be his last game of organized basketball as the Snohomish County Explosion ended its season with a 119-116 loss to Central Oregon in the International Basketball League Western Conference playoffs. Chasing the basketball dream has taken Watts to Europe and South America, as well as numerous stops in a variety of leagues around this country, but standing in a hallway at Monroe High School, Watts said he is now ready to make the transition from player to coach. "For me it's on to the next chapter in life; trying to win some games as a coach," said Watts, 31, who will be the head boys basketball coach at West Seattle High School starting in the fall. "I'll keep playing because it's in my blood, but probably not any more organized basketball." Watts, the son of former Sonic Slick Watts, was slowed throughout his career by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but still managed to keep playing at various levels well after his UW ended in 1999. "It's been a long road," he said. "I've had some adversity, but I've continued to play dealing with the fatigue stuff and I think that's a success in itself, just being able to manage it. A lot of people dealing with what I'm dealing with don't make it out of bed. I'm proud of that, but at the same time it's time to move on." Watts was back in action for the first time after missing three games because of illness. He said he was having sinus problems and headaches, but added that those aren't usually symptoms of his fatigue syndrome. He finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals, and showed that he has life left in his legs with three emphatic two-handed dunks. He hopes that a glob-trotting basketball career will help him as a high school coach. "I've learned so much and had an opportunity to learn with some of the best pros in the world, train with some of the best coaches in the world, and I'm a student of the game," he said. "Now it's time to put it together with a group of guys that I'll be with for 12 months a year for three or four years." Just a hobby: A lot of the players in this weekend's IBL playoffs are still hoping to make a career out of basketball. For one Edmonton player, however, basketball is just a diversion from the career he has already begun. Stephen Parker, a 6-3 guard who scored 21 points in the Chill's first-round win over Portland, already has a law degree and is an attorney in Edmonton. Parker won a national championship at the University of Alberta in 2002 and had offers to keep playing basketball in Europe, but instead went to law school. He is now an intellectual property lawyer for the firm Fraser, Milner and Casgrain, LLP in Edmonton. Edmonton general manager Nick Padow said his team first convinced Parker to work out with the team, then eventually talked him into playing. Parker said he is only able to make his night job work thanks to an understanding law firm and a senior partner who happens to be a big basketball fan. "Time management is one of my fortes," said Parker, whose layup in the final seconds helped clinch a win Friday night. "Just like everything else in my life, I try to work as hard as I can and do it the best that I can."

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