Yuta Watanabe

Wheat Hotchkiss

Yuta Watanabe is far from a household name in America. In fact, only the most ardent college basketball fans might know the 6-9 guard, who spent four years in relative anonymity playing for a George Washington team that never finished better than fifth in the Atlantic 10.

But in his home country of Japan, Watanabe is a really big deal. How big?

When he worked out for the Wizards last month, "a swath of reporters" from Japan were on hand to track his every move.

There were no Japanese reporters present at his pre-draft workout for the Pacers on Wednesday morning, but make no mistake, they are watching him closely.

Watanabe is attempting to become just the second Japanese-born player in NBA history. 5-9 point guard Yuta Tabuse was the first, though he appeared in just four games for the Phoenix Suns in 2004.

"A lot of people care about what I'm doing," Watanabe said on Wednesday. "And hopefully I can make them happy."

While he likely won't be a first-round pick in next week's NBA Draft, Watanabe has the physical tools to make it in the NBA.

At the recent NBA Global Camp, he was measured at 6-9 with a 6-10 wingspan and recorded a 36.5-inch vertical jump.

Despite his size, Watanabe played primarily the guard position in college. He averaged 16.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game as a senior, while shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point range and 80.7 percent from the free throw line.

His size and athleticism allowed him to be a menace on the defensive end and he was voted the Atlantic 10's Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.

With those measurables, Watanabe would seem to have all the tools to succeed in the modern NBA, which places a high priority on players who can knock down shots and guard multiple positions.

"My strength is my versatility, both offensively and defensively," Watanabe said Wednesday. "I can dribble, I can shoot, I can pass. On the defensive end, I can guard 1-4."

Still, Watanabe admitted that he must get stronger to be able to play heavy minutes in the NBA. He weighed in at just 191.6 pounds at the NBA Global Camp.

Watanabe has represented his home country in international competition for a number of years, including Olympic qualifying in the summer of 2016. But four years ago, he made a bold decision to travel across the Pacific Ocean and enroll in college. He was just the fourth Japanese-born student athlete to play NCAA Division I men's basketball, according to George Washington athletics.

"When I came here, I couldn't speak any English," Watanabe said. "That was challenging, but I enjoyed the last four years. As a person (and) as a player, I think I developed a lot."

Watanabe is hopeful that his experience playing against NCAA competition has made him better prepared to play in the NBA. He has followed the league for years and lists Kobe Bryant as one of his basketball idols.

"The NBA has been my dream since I was a kid," he said. "...I'm going to do whatever it takes and we'll see what happens."

Missouri's Jordan Barnett (left), Louisville's Quentin Snider (middle), and Ohio State's Jae'Sean Tate (right) all worked out for the Pacers on Wednesday.

Four-Year Players Fill Out Wednesday's Workout

Wednesday's workout was the fourth one the Pacers have hosted this year, but the first in which none of the prospects in attendance turned pro early. In part because of that, none of the six players is expected to be a first-round pick and most will likely go undrafted, though most should get the chance to play for an NBA team in the Las Vegas Summer League next month.

Former Indiana guard Robert Johnson got most of the media attention on Wednesday (Pacers.com's Mark Montieth chronicled his story), but three other players had at least loose ties to the area.

Missouri forward Jordan Barnett, Louisville point guard Quentin Snider, and Ohio State swingman Jae'Sean Tate all grew up within driving distance of Indianapolis. Barnett is from St. Louis, Snider hails from Louisville, and Tate is from Pickerington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.

Barnett, who started his college career at Texas in the same recruiting class as Pacers center Myles Turner, said he has attended a few games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse over the years.

Tate, meanwhile, has been based out of Indianapolis for the past few months, training with Joey Burton — who works with Pacers forward Glenn Robinson III and other NBA players and prospects — in Zionsville.

Burton has been helping Tate work on his shooting. The 6-4, 230-pound player made just 36-of-130 3-point attempts (27.7 percent) during his four seasons at Ohio State. Tate said Burton "changed my form a little bit," allowing him to hopefully show an improved stroke to NBA scouts.

Tate is a unique prospect because while he projects as a guard in the NBA, he played primarily in the post in college, battling with bigger players. While he probably won't be able to man the power forward spot in the NBA, he does believe that the experience of battling against bigger guys could help him at the next level.

"I've always been undersized, even since I was little," Tate said. "I think that's where the chip on my shoulder comes from. I never back down from a challenge. I like to embrace being a smaller guy."

Ohio State underwent a coaching change heading into Tate's senior year, with former Butler coach Chris Holtmann replacing longtime Buckeyes coach Thad Matta. The program made a massive turnaround, improving from 7-11 in Big Ten play in 2016-17 to 15-3 last season, when they tied for second place in the conference and returned to the NCAA Tournament.

Tate said that turnaround "meant everything" to him. He grew up an Ohio State fan and his father, Jermaine, played for the Buckeyes from 1995-97.

As a senior, Tate averaged 12.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while posting an impressive .557 field goal percentage. Just as importantly, he was the emotional leader of the team, someone who his teammates and coaches referred to as "the heart and soul" of the program.

Tate endeared himself to fans by playing with relentless energy, something he knows can translate to the pro game.

"I think any team needs a guy who brings energy," he said. "There's going to be ups and downs in games. Throughout my career, I've always been a guy to give a spark to a team when they need it."

Barnett took a little longer to find his footing in college. The 6-7 forward played sparingly in his year and a half at Texas before deciding to transfer to Missouri midway through his sophomore year. Barnett was able to play the second semester of the 2016-17 season, but his first full season of college basketball as a regular rotation player didn't come until his senior season.

He was a productive player for Missouri, averaging 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season. While he struggled with his outside shot as a junior, shooting just 30 percent from 3-point range on 120 attempts, Barnett was much more effective as a senior, when he posted a .414 3-point percentage and .890 free throw percentage.

Though his offensive game was limited to primarily spotting up as a catch-and-shoot player, Barnett believes he has the skill set to fit well in the NBA.

"The biggest thing I'm trying to showcase is really my athleticism and shooting ability," he said Wednesday. "In this league right now, I'd probably be a '3-and-D' kind of guy...I'm 6-7, pretty long, pretty athletic."

There is certainly a place for a wing who can guard multiple positions and knock down open shots in the current NBA game, but Barnett will need to distinguish himself from a slew of other similar candidates in this year's draft class.

He considers himself a bit of a late bloomer, and is hopeful that his improvement over the last year and his underrated athleticism get scouts' attention.

"I felt much better and much more confident as a stopper my senior year than I did my junior year," he said. "(It was) just an overall boost to my game and skill set, which I think is getting me noticed by a lot of my teams here."

Shooting is also a strength for Snider, who topped 1,000 career points over his four years at Louisville. The 6-2 point guard shot 40.4 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore, 37.3 percent as a junior, and 41.6 percent as a senior. He averaged 11.8 points and 4.0 assists per game in his final year on campus.

"I can shoot the ball and come off pick-and-rolls and find the open man," Snider said. "I'm a point guard, so just trying to get my teammates better, that's the main thing."

A smaller guard and not someone who will test off the charts athletically, Snider faces an uphill battle trying to make an NBA roster, but he has all the intangibles to enjoy a lengthy professional career, even if that comes in the G League or overseas.

Snider was a steady presence throughout his four years at Louisville, including a tumultuous final season that saw legendary coach Rick Pitino forced to resign amid an FBI investigation into illegal recruiting practices.

"It was basically a team (decision)," Snider said. "Our sanctuary was the basketball court. We tried not to worry about that...we just ignored it and kept playing."

The sixth and final player at Wednesday's workout was Creighton guard Marcus Foster. It was the second workout at the St. Vincent Center in less than a week for Foster, who was part of the first workout group last Thursday.

That could or could not mean anything. The Pacers have worked out a few players multiple times in recent years.

One example is Solomon Hill, who Indiana wound up taking with the 23rd overall pick in 2013.

Last year, they worked out Miami guard Davon Reed twice, but did not take him in the draft. Reed went to Phoenix with the 32nd pick, sandwiched between Indiana's two selections at 18 (where they took TJ Leaf) and 47 (where they took Ike Anigbogu).

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Japan Watching as Watanabe Chases NBA Dream

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Height: 6-9
Weight: 205
Position: SG/SF
College: George Washington
Age: 22

PPG: 16.3
RPG: 6.1
APG: 1.6
BLK: 1.6
STL: 0.8

Player BioCourtesy of George Washington Athletics

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Ranks second in school history in blocks (147) and games played (134) and 15th in scoring (1,460)...The 2017-18 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year...Two-time selection to the A-10 All-Defensive Team (2016-17, 2017-18) and an All A-10 Third Team Selection in 2017-18...2018 recipient of the Patricio Garino Defensive Award and Mike Brown MVP Award

AS A SENIOR AT GW (2017-18): Started all 33 games ... the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year ... also an All-Conference Third Team selection and All-Defensive Team selection ... recipient of the Patricio Garino Defensive Award and Mike Brown MVP Award ... led the team with 16.3 ppg and 54 blocks ... second on the team with 6.1 rpg ... ranked third in the A-10 with 1.6 blocks/game ... scored in double figures in 20 straight games and 29 overall ... had seven 20-point games and four double-doubles ... averaged 18.4 ppg in A-10 play ... member of the GW Athletic Department Dean's List (Fall '17) ... had a team-high 21 points at Dayton (3/2), marking his fourth 20-point effort in the last five games ... scored a career-high 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting vs. Fordham (2/28) ... nearly double-doubled with 23 points on 10-of-21 shooting and nine rebounds vs. VCU (2/17) ... double-doubled at George Mason (2/10), scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds ... scored 29 points on an 11-of-20 effort, including five three-pointers in seven attempts, vs. La Salle (2/7) ... had five blocks at St. Bonaventure (1/28) ... totaled a game-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including a trio of threes, vs. George Mason (1/17) while holding Otis Livingston II, who had back-to-back 25 and 26-point performances, to 1-of-7 field goals and three points ... paced the Colonials with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting vs. Saint Joseph's (12/30) while limiting the Hawks' leading scorer Shavar Newkirk to 2-of-11 field goals and 10 points ... had his third double-double of the season, and fourth of his career, with 18 points and 11 boards vs. UNH (12/20) ... registered a team-high 18 points, 13 of which came in the second half, on 8-of-15 shooting at Penn State (12/9) ... named A-10 Co-Player of the Week (12/4) after leading GW vs. Morgan State (11/29) and Temple (12/3), averaging 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals, and 2.5 blocks through both games ... marked his first Player of the Week honor ... tallied 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 3-of-7 from long range, and had a career-high five steals vs. Morgan State (11/29) ... recorded his second double-double of the season with 16 points, a game-and career-high 13 rebounds and six of GW's 12 blocks in 40 minutes vs. Rider (11/20) ... played 40 minutes in the season-opener vs. Howard (11/10), leading the team with 19 points (8-of-11 fg) and 11 rebounds while making a career-high seven blocks.

AS A JUNIOR AT GW (2016-2017): Started 27 games and played in 28 ... missed seven games (Penn State on 11/26 through UCF on 12/15) with a calf injury ... ranked second on the team in scoring (12.2) ... named to the A-10 All-Defensive Team ... led the team with 32 blocks ... scored in double figures in 19 games ... tallied a season-high 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting at UIC (3/20) ... recorded 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting (2-of-4 3pt. FG), along with six rebounds (three offensive) vs. Dayton (3/4) ... played a career-high 40 mins at Fordham (3/1), scoring 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting ... played 39 minutes vs. St. Bonaventure (2/1), holding Jaylen Adams to 1-of-10 from the field, and 2-of-13 from three point range ... also had a career-high tying six assists ... grabbed a game-high nine rebounds vs. Saint Louis (1/28) ... played 37 minutes vs. Duquesne (1/18), scoring a game-high 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting (3-of-5 3pt. FG)with five assists on one turnover ... scored 13 points, grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, and had four assists vs. La Salle (1/15) ... tallied 15 points with three blocks and a career-high three steals vs. Richmond (1/8) ... played a team-high 34 minutes vs. Davidson (1/5), leading the team's defensive effort by holding Jack Gibbs to 7-of-19 shooting and racking up 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting (2-of-3 3pt FG), while also recording four assists, two steals and a block ... led the team in scoring with 15 points vs. Miami (12/22), coming off the bench to shoot 3-of-5 from long range, grab six boards, register three assists, and lead the defense with two steals ... registered a career-high 12 rebounds and scored 13 points in 37 minutes vs. Siena (11/15) ... the double-double was the first of his career ... tallied 18 points and six rebounds on a career-high 10-of-12 effort at the free throw line in the season-opener vs. MDES (11/11).

AS A SOPHOMORE AT GW (2015-16): Started 37 of 38 games ... led the team with 40 blocks, which ranked 8th in the A-10, and had 12 multi-block games ... fifth on the team in scoring (8.4 ppg) ... scored in double figures 12 times ... committed just one turnover every 24.4 minutes, the lowest rate on the team ... scored a then-season-high 19 points in a win over Gardner-Webb (11/24) ... hit a season-high four 3-pointers in a win over Penn State (12/8) to finish with 14 points ... notched double-figure points for the fifth time this season with 14 to go along with a career-high tying three blocks vs. Richmond (1/28) ... knocked down a career-high 9 free throws on 11 attempts while snagging a career-high eight rebounds at George Mason (1/31) ... scored in double figures for the third straight game with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting vs. Davidson (2/3) ... connected on 3 of 4 three-pointers and finished with 11 points vs. La Salle (2/21) ... set career highs in points (22) and assists (6) at Davidson (3/5/16), knocking down 7-of-11 shots including 2-of-3 from three-point range ... had 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three, against Saint Louis (3/10) ... reached double figures in scoring for the third time in four games with 15 vs. Hofstra in the NIT First Round (3/16) ... grabbed a career-high nine rebounds vs. Monmouth (3/21) ... had a career-high four blocks in the NIT Championship vs. Valparaiso (3/31).

AS A FRESHMAN AT GW (2014-15): Averaged 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 22.5 minutes in 35 games played with 10 starts ... Closed rookie season with 15 points and four three-pointers in NIT second round matchup at Temple (3/22/15) ... Averaged 13.5 points in final two regular season games, including career-high seven threes and 21 points against UMass (3/7/15), to earn second A-10 Rookie of the Week nod. Seven threes matched the second-most ever by a GW player in a single game ... Member of Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll (3.5+ GPA) and GW's Athletic Academic Dean's List (3.0+ GPA) for fall 2014 semester ... Made GW's third ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays (#8) appearance in 24 days with tip dunk en route to nine points in victory over Richmond (1/15/15) ... Extended double-digit scoring streak to six straight games with career-high-tying 12 at La Salle (1/10/15). Also scored 12 in victory at Saint Joseph's (1/3/15) ... Named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week (12/29/14) after averaging 9.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in three games as GW captured the 2014 Diamond Head Classic crown. Scored 10 points in a semifinal win over Colorado and title game upset of No. 11 Wichita State, including two 3-pointers in a decisive 20-6 game-ending run against the Shockers.

HIGH SCHOOL: Labeled "the Chosen One" by The Japan Times, Watanabe (you-tuh wah-tuh-nah-bay) is the fourth Japanese-born student-athlete in NCAA Division I men's basketball history (Michael Takahashi - Cal State Northridge, K.J. Matsui - Columbia, Taishi Ito - Portland) ... in his lone scholastic season in the United States in 2013-14, Watanabe averaged 13 points and six rebounds in helping St. Thomas More School (Conn.) to a 26-8 overall record and an appearance in the National Prep Championship game, during which he scored a team-high 25 points ... his ever-improving play throughout the season helped him earn NEPSAC Class AAA First Team All-League accolades and he was also named to the National Prep School Invitational All-Tournament Team ... before coming to the U.S., Watanabe led Jinsei Gakuen High School to second place in the 2010 and 2011 All-Japan Tournaments ... he has competed for the Japanese National Team - as an 18-year-old, he helped Japan to third place at the 2013 East Asian Basketball Association Championship for Men and ninth in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship ... he also played for the Japan National Team in Olympic Qualifying in the summer of 2016 ... Watanabe comes from a basketball family - both of his parents played in Japan's top leagues, his mother, Kumi, also played for the Japanese Women's National Team, and his sister, Yuki, played for Aishin AW of the Women's Japan Basketball League.

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Yuta Watanabe: 2018 Draft Prospect

The Pacers will hold their fourth pre-draft workout in preparation for the 2018 NBA Draft on Wednesday, June 13 at the St. Vincent Center.

The six players scheduled to participate in workouts are Jordan Barnett (Missouri), Marcus Foster (Creighton), Robert Johnson (Indiana), Quentin Snider (Louisville), Jae'Sean Tate (Ohio State), and Yuta Watanabe (George Washington).

The 2018 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Pacers own two picks in this year's draft, one pick in both the first and second rounds, the 23rd and 50th overall selections.

PROSPECT BIOS: Barnett »   Foster »   Johnson »   Snider »   Tate »   Wideman »

Yuta Watanabe

Japan Watching as Watanabe Chases NBA Dream

Yuta Watanabe: 2018 Draft Prospect

Pacers to Hold Fourth Pre-Draft Workout on Wednesday, June 13