LSU lands coveted recruit Trendon Watford

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU coach Will Wade says highly rated power forward Trendon Watford has signed to play for the Tigers.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Watford has been playing for Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Alabama, where he was part of three straight Class 7A state championships.

During his senior season, he averaged 23.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Watford is rated among the country’s top 20 prospects by several national recruiting services.

Wade calls Watford “a versatile forward who has a unique ability to make plays for the team and himself.”

Watford’s decision comes a little more than a month after Wade’s reinstatement from a suspension amid concerns about his recruiting tactics. Wade has denied wrongdoing.

Watford is the third LSU signee for the 2019-20 season. The others, who signed last November, are guard James Bishop of Mount Saint Joseph’s High School in Baltimore and guard Charles Manning Jr., a junior college transfer from Florida SouthWestern State College.

Also, guard Javonte Smart, who averaged 11.1 points as a freshman, has withdrawn from the NBA draft and intends to return to the Tigers.