It’s been a long winding road between double-doubles in the career of Brandon Watkins.

The first came 100 games, one knee surgery, one bout with mono and a self-imposed off-season vacation away from the team ago. That’s a long time with a load of variables for the senior from Atlanta, Georgia to go through both on and off the court.

That first double-double was a 12 point, 11 rebound performance against Marshall only 11 games into his college career. It was one of the standout games of his career earning MVP honors in the process.

But every time it seemed Watkins was ready to take the next step. Something would crop up.

Well on his way to a double-double the following year against Kansas State, Watkins would account for 14 points and 9 rebounds before a knee injury would force him from the game and cost him the rest of the year. While he would continue to play, it was clear that off-season surgery was the option.

“I think we all saw glimpses but it seemed like every time Brandon was ready to break out of his shell something happened,” head coach Bob Huggins said.

The injury would cost Watkins into the following year as he originally intended to redshirt to further recover but ended up appearing in a total of 23 games, but logging only 125 minutes as he dealt with pain in his knee. It was something that limited on and off the court as the frustrations mounted.

“I wasn’t ready last year. I played earlier than I was supposed to,” Watkins admitted.

So in the off-season Watkins took what Huggins calls a “vacation.” An extended period away from the team this past summer in order to decide what the next step would be. Would he continue playing basketball or walk away from the game without ever being able to demonstrate his contributions?

During that self-reflection, Watkins realized that he missed not only the game of basketball but the camaraderie that comes with it. He soon discovered that the saying is true that you often don’t realize what you have until it’s gone and his focus shifted.

“It hits you like a ton of bricks,” Huggins said. “He came back with so much of a greater appreciation of the game and everything that comes with it. That little hiatus was good for Brandon.”

So Watkins got back with the team and started to focus on what he could do to become a better basketball player and make his mark. First came getting completely healthy with his knee by working with the strength and conditioning staff. It was a long grueling process that spanned almost two years while also working on improving his overall conditioning to handle an expanded role.

Next it was about improving his confidence level. Soon that started to show up in practice as did a developing offensive game to accompany his skills on the defensive end of the floor.

“It’s higher than what it’s been. The confidence comes from being in the gym and working so I feel more comfortable,” Watkins said.

Now nine games into his final year on campus, Watkins has developed into a high-energy big-man off the bench that provides a spark on both ends of the floor. His current pace smashes his previous season per-game averages with 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. So much so that if you totaled the first three years’ averages together, Watkins would only come in at 5.2 points and 5.2 rebounds.

Now, healthy and confident, Watkins has bought into his role on the team as a player that looks to first contribute on the defensive end by affecting shots and then adding any offense he can to the equation.

That brings us to this past Saturday when Watkins got into the double-double category with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes for the first time in three years. A long time but well worth it to the newly invigorated Watkins.

A testament to the phrase hard work pays off. But with almost an entire season left ahead of him, Watkins doesn’t plan on resting anytime soon.

He still has more to prove and all the motivation he needs.

“This is my last go-around. I want to leave out on a good note,” he said. “I want to leave out that I did contribute some stuff even though I went through a lot. That’s my motivation.”