Trinity's Watts has a season to remember

From death bed to state champion in under four months! The last time I saw Jonathan Watts of Trinity on TV back in early January he was happy to be sitting on the bench. It is remarkable that his accident was at the scene of an earlier one and the highway patrol officer was still on the scene, who saved Watts' life.

Watts enjoys "biggest day" of his life
By Steve Hanf, Staff Sorts Writer High Point Enterpirse
03/15/2004

Jonathan Watts cut to the hoop for a layup. He walked to the free-throw line for three of his five points. The Trinity senior jumped for a pair of rebounds and threw a pass to one of his teammates for an assist.

Watts acted just like any of the other Bulldogs, grinning from ear to ear and living it up after Trinity's 73-64 victory over Dudley on Saturday night in the 3A state championship game.

"Biggest day of my life," Watts said.

Then again, every day since Nov. 20, 2003, has been pretty special.

Watts nearly lost his life on that unforgettable day when a furniture truck plowed into his car at 9:07 a.m., just minutes from the start of his school day at nearby Trinity High. The force of the impact sent Watts' car into a ditch. He stopped breathing and was bleeding profusely from his head.

Quick action by a highway patrolman likely saved Watts' life. The trooper, in the area after clearing an earlier accident, rushed to Watts' car and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Watts was breathing but in critical condition when airlifted to Wake Forest's Baptist Medical Center.

Parents Roy and Phyllis Watts arrived at the hospital at 11 a.m. Bulldogs coach Tim Kelly saw Jonathan later that day.

"At the time, honestly, we thought he was going to die," Kelly said. "We didn't share that with the kids, but I was told it did not look good. We tried to keep them optimistic."

Watts didn't open his eyes for 48 hours in the hospital and spent five days in intensive care. Four more days passed in a regular room. The basketball season, just two days old at the time of his accident, dominated his thoughts, especially when his teammates came for visits.

"They were there for me every step of the way. When I was in the hospital, they all came to see me," Watts said.

"My friends didn't know if I'd be able to play again, I didn't know. I was just waiting for that doctor to say, 'You can get back out there.' "

First, Watts returned to Trinity High, just 13 days after the wreck. Then he started sitting on the bench with his teammates and eventually began dressing out. When he took the floor for the first time Jan. 6, against High Point Central, the emotion of the evening was overwhelming.

"We knew we had a good kid," Roy Watts said. "We just didn't know how many people knew him and thought so much of him."

"People (inquired) who didn't even know him or know us," Phyllis added. " 'You're Jonathan's mom, we've been praying for him.' God performed a miracle."

Watts didn't start for the Bulldogs, but the senior class president never minded cheering from the bench as Trinity marched toward the second state title in school history. Gradually, though, Watts started contributing more and more. In last week's regional championship against Weddington, he sparked a rally with 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Without that performance, Kelly admitted that Trinity's season would have ended.

"Coach really thought he would never play again this season," said Roy, calling that game his and Phyllis' proudest moment this season. "I kept telling him he would. The opportunity was there and he was able to capitalize on it."

A week later, Watts and the Bulldogs made the most of the opportunity by beating Dudley. Sure, every day since the accident had been special, but none more so than this one.

"It's unbelievable, just awesome," said Watts, the large scar on his left shoulder the only visible reminder of his brush with death. "I thank God for keeping me here. He has a reason for keeping me here. It's awesome to be a part of this team."

For now, just being part of a Trinity team he's played with four years is reason enough.

"It put things in perspective," Kelly said. "We've talked a lot about how these team members really love one another. Life is precious, let's enjoy this year, make the most of it and just be thankful we are all together."

 

:applause:

 

Great story

I talked with his mom when Trinity came to Robinson for a playoff game. They seem like really nice people. Great team too. Not the most talented, but the best team, well-coached.

 

Trinity's team consisted mainly of seniors and their record improved each season since the 9th grade JV team. (And it's hard to improve record-wise much when they won 20 games that year!)

It's been a very nice rallying theme for that community too.