The future of Buffalo basketball was announced Wednesday when head coach Reggie Witherspoon introduced Bulls fans to two newcomers.
Witherspoon signed standout forwards Titus Robinson from North Carolina and Mitchell Watt from Arizona. They will fill the void left by Andrew Atman and Christian Schmidt.
Robinson is from East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 15 points, 6.5 rebounds and three blocked shots per game. He was named first team All-State.
Robinson's team went 30-3 and won the 4A North Carolina State Championship. He also held the honor of being named Most Valuable Player of the championship game after his 20 point, 11 rebound performance.
"Titus is a state champion and it's great to have another player from North Carolina," Witherspoon said of Robinson in a press release. "He's got the movement of someone 6'7" or 6'8" and the length of someone over seven feet."
Robinson chose Buffalo over Bradley. He also received offers from Charleston Southern and Radford.
Watt played for Arizona Desert Edge High School in Goodyear, Arizona. He originally committed to Cornell but decided to re-open his recruiting process after receiving interest from numerous schools, including the likes of Rutgers.
As a senior, Watt was named first-team All State. He averaged 12 points, 8.5 rebounds and four blocked shots per game. Watt shot 53 percent from the field, including 30 percent from three-point range.
Arizona Desert Edge High School went 28-2 and won the Arizona 4A Division II State Championship. Watt earned Most Valuable Player in the state championship game.
Watt looked for a place that challenged him on the court as well as in the classroom. A member of the National Honor Society and student council president, Watt was a straight-A student in high school. He plans on majoring in exercise science at Buffalo.
"Mitchell is a great student and an excellent athlete from a great family," Witherspoon said. "He shoots it well, runs the floor, blocks shots, and he's a lefty. He is a state champion from Arizona and one of the better players from the state."
Along with his Buffalo scholarship, Watt got offers from Rutgers, Davidson, Tulsa and Pepperdine.
"Both of these players have a tremendous upside. It's rare to be able to get them in our program and fight off the schools that we had to fight off to get them," he said.
The Bulls finished their 2007-2008 campaign, with a 10-20 record, including a 3-13 Mid-American Conference record. They return their top eight scorers from last season.
