JONESBORO, Ark. (4/23/26) – Arkansas State men's basketball head coach Ryan Pannone announced the addition of 2025-26 NJCAA All-Region 11 Second Team selection Chaz Watson to the 2026-27 roster on Thursday.
 
"Chaz Watson is a high-level shooter and a high-level energy giver," said Pannone. "He's someone that we were tracking all throughout the season and we loved the energy that he gave his teammates, the energy he brought on the bench, his ability to shoot the ball, and the way that he played.
 
We anticipated losing some of the players on our roster and we thought he would be a perfect fit, not just for our style of play, but as a human being. When you get a chance to watch him and the way that he interacts with his teammates, you see a selfless mentality."
 
The Kansas City native will don the Scarlet and Black following stops at Cleveland State and Indian Hills Community College. He averaged 11.8 points on a 46.7 percentage from the field and converted a conference-leading 83 three-pointers on a 46.4 percent clip during his sophomore campaign with the Warriors.
 
The three-time ICCAC Athlete of the Week tallied 10-plus points in 16 contests, including a career high of 32 on Jan. 31 versus Sauk Valley, and shot above 50 percent from the floor in 12. He converted 10 three-pointers in a 108-77 victory over the Skyhawks and set a new single-game program record.
 
Watson signed with Cleveland State out of Lee's Summit West High School and played in 12 contests during the 2024-25 season. He netted a season high of 12 points and secured four rebounds against Midway on December 22, 2024.
 
At Lee's Summit, Watson was selected to the 2022-23 Missouri Basketball Coaches Association All-State squad and was a finalist for the 2023-24 Mr. Show Me award, reserved for the player of the year in the state. Watson helped guide the Titans to district championships in back-to-back seasons.
 
"That's what we really want for our roster," said Pannone. "Someone that's going to bring that unbelievable everyday energy and a selfless mentality that also has an elite skillset as a shooter, can guard at a high level and brings IQ and feel to our team."
 
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