Recruiting Report: CJ Waters (2017)
The Gilbert Tigers had one heckuva season, finishing in the semifinals of the Division-I state tournament last season. While seniors Chris Bowling (Northern Arizona) and Jacob Nicolds (Dixie State) garnered the most attention from the teams run, there is one…
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Continue ReadingThe Gilbert Tigers had one heckuva season, finishing in the semifinals of the Division-I state tournament last season. While seniors Chris Bowling (Northern Arizona) and Jacob Nicolds (Dixie State) garnered the most attention from the teams run, there is one unsung hero who played in huge role in Gilbert success in CJ Waters.
“Our high school season went very well,” started Waters. “We made it to the semifinals in the state tournament. Of course I’m very proud of that but it would have been great to have gone all the way. Our team was not predicted to go that far so it felt good to show people what we were made of.”
A 6’5″ forward, CJ is a high motor player who is very productive. He crashes the glass hard and has shown the ability to score from multiple areas on the floor. His toughness helped him to post a stat line that featured averages of 12 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game, and an 81% shooting percentage from the charity stripe.
“For me personally, I feel like playing with more confidence was my biggest improvement. I knew I had to believe in myself which would, in the end, help our team.”
While Waters has some tools and versatility he stated that he wants to continue to improve his offensive skillset.
“I have always been strong defensively but want to improve my ball handling and my shot. I want to get physically stronger so that I can consistently finish and can handle ball pressure.”
This season CJ has joined a different AAU program, playing with the newly formed Arizona Firestorm.
“I’m excited for this upcoming circuit with my club team. I am playing with Firestorm Elite 17U and I believe we have the potential to be a fairly good team. My teammates and I realize that this is a very important club season and we need to play our best basketball in hopes of getting interest from some college scouts and coaches. I personally hope to get interest and potentially some offers from a college.”
Currently no schools have shown interest in Waters but expect that to change quickly. With Firestorm he is in a role as a feature contributor and, with his combination of size, skills, versatility, and off the court resume…expect many small college coaches to come knocking this summer.
“I am looking for a school that is academically strong which offer programs that will help me achieve my education goals. I am currently planning on studying engineering but I haven’t determined which specific area.”
CJ currently posts a 4.4 GPA, and though he has not yet received his SAT score, he recently took the exam and is expecting results in May. He did, however, score a 1320 on his PSAT earlier this year. A member of the National Honors Society, Waters has been taking honors and AP classes.
“I believe with my mixture of basketball and academics that I will be able to get into a good college that fits what I want.”
As well spoken and diversified as he is, it is hard to argue with CJ’s statement.
“I anticipate making a decision after my senior season of basketball.”