Man of Steal: How Anton Watson climbed to No. 2 on Gonzaga's all-time list behind John Stockton

Dec. 27—There is one name in front of Anton Watson's on Gonzaga's all-time steals list. John Stockton also happens to be No. 1 on the NBA's all-time list and Watson was curious how many steals the Hall of Famer snagged during four seasons at GU in the early 1980s.

"262," Watson was told.

"How many do I have?" Watson asked.

"179," came the reply.

"That's crazy," Watson said with a shake of his head.

Watson was referring to Stockton's ridiculous number of steals, but it's also eye-catching that the 6-foot-8, 230-pound Watson has ascended to No. 2 on a top 10 with nine guards, including six who were primarily point guards. The next-tallest player is 6-5 Matt Bouldin, who shares fifth with Jeremy Pargo, and 6-5 Steven Gray at No. 10.

Yet, it makes perfect sense for anyone who has witnessed Watson's defensive wizardry over the past four-plus seasons.

Watson's steals are a product of instincts, positioning, anticipation, understanding opposing players' strengths and weaknesses and perhaps most important, quick hands.

He learned the importance of defense and rebounding at an early age from his dad, Deon, an All-Big Sky Conference performer at the University of Idaho in the 1990s. Watson received a master class on defense for five years playing on Stockton-coached AAU teams.

Stockton holds down the top three spots on GU's single-season steals list, including 109 in his senior year of 1984. Watson's 66 last year ranks fourth.

Stockton played in 107 career games, but he averaged less than 10 minutes as a freshman and finished with just 17 steals. He had 68 steals in his sophomore and junior years.

"I'd say my IQ on defense, I got a lot from (Stockton)," said Watson, who had 18 steals as a freshman before a shoulder injury ended his season after just 15 games. "Just reading the game, knowing players, which players you can get up on and steal the ball and which players you can't do that with. I learned that from him."

Watson occasionally watched video of Stockton's games to pick up additional tips, some having more to do with Stockton's steely mindset.

"He was scrappy. He was mean, almost, on defense, like you didn't want to have him guarding you," Watson said of Stockton, who had 3,265 steals in 19 NBA seasons, nearly 600 more than second-place Jason Kidd. "That's kind of my mentality. I'm probably not as mean as him on the court, but it's definitely a mentality to try to take the ball every time."

Watson was a perfect fit at Gonzaga Prep under coach Matty McIntyre, whose program emphasized rebounding and defense.

"I remember when I first met his dad, a very accomplished player in own right. He said something, 'Just teach my son how to rebound and defend,' " McIntyre said. "And I thought that was so cool because everything is usually about points and other stats. Here is a guy that values other stuff. I always appreciated that.

"Absolutely, I think you see Deon's influence (on Anton's defense) and also the humility that Anton has. Anton is truly a Swiss Army knife and can affect the game in so many ways, some go noticed and some go unnoticed. At the end of the day, he's the ultimate winner."

Watson led the Bullpups to a pair of State 4A titles and two third-place finishes. Gonzaga Prep was 106-8 in Watson's four years as a starter.

He kept right on winning at Gonzaga with a 114-14 record in his game appearances. The NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the pandemic in his freshman year in 2020. GU reached the title game in 2021, the Sweet 16 in 2022 and the Elite Eight last year.

Watson leads the Zags with 17 steals this season, three ahead of forward Ben Gregg.

"He's always had those hands," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "It's amazing just watching him when he was in high school. He has the quickest hands on defense. I don't know if we've ever had anybody like him like that.

"We keep track of deflections and he always just shatters the record, way out in front of everybody. He probably has more than the entire team does. That's just always what's he done. It's a real gift."

Watson's grandfather came up with a nickname for his grandson a few years ago: "Three hands Anton."

"It's like he'd lull people to sleep and then it was like a dagger and his hands would shoot in the gap," McIntyre said of Watson's prep days. "He had a way of going slow to quick."

McIntyre nearly always assigned Watson to the opponent's best player, regardless of size, and used Watson's versatility much the same way Gonzaga does at the collegiate level.

"He'd have the No. 1 assignment almost every single night whether it was a guard or a big," McIntyre said. "So he could bring size to a guard and he could also guard a five-man and be physical in the post, especially later in his career. I remember a couple times we put him off the ball where we were going to bring help from Anton as the double-team guy. I remember we switched ball screens with him because it was never a mismatch."

Stockton often reaches out to Watson via text with advice following games.

"Just kind of humbling me, like, 'You have to keep working,' " Watson said. "It might be something little, but I'm appreciative of everything he does for me and he still shows love."

Watson returns the favor in the community in countless ways. McIntyre mostly watches Watson from afar these days, but he pointed out Anton always participates in Gonzaga Prep's annual alumni game and signs T-shirts for kids at McIntyre's basketball camp.

"He's just loved by everyone, the teachers, coaches," McIntyre said. "He can light up a room."

And shut down talented opponents on the court.

"He's a once-in-a-lifetime player for a coach," McIntyre said. "You never expect to get somebody like that even once."