So why are college football coaches checking out basketball practice this winter at Annapolis High? The short answer is Tajuan Watson, the senior point guard for the Panthers in hoops.

"He is tough. He handles the rock for us," said Mike Melton, an assistant coach under long-time mentor John Brady. "He is also a great student."

Watson, a defensive stopper in basketball, was also a key defensive back in football last fall and that may be the sport he plays in college. Football coaches from Holy Cross and Bucknell have been in Annapolis to watch him practice basketball this season, Melton said.

It is not unusual for football coaches to watch possible recruits play basketball. Pro baseball scouts also will attend high school football and basketball games so they can get a better read on the athletic ability of possible Major League Baseball draft picks.

Watson also has been in contact with Yale, but has yet to make his college choice. His older brother, Teon, is a student manager for the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Their father, Ted, played for Brady at Annapolis High in the 1970s, Melton said.

Hot-shooting night for Panthers

It is hard to lose a game when a team makes 14 of 15 free throws and adds a season-high 15 three-pointers. That was the case for the boys basketball team at Annapolis High, which downed Northeast, 101-62, on Jan. 31.

"We just happened to be on," said Melton, who added the team made more than 50 percent of its long-range shots. "It is not like we were just jacking up three-pointers."

Domico James had a game-high 26 points while Tajuan Watson had 14 points, Delonte Joyce had 13 and Colin Varn added 12. Joyce and James are both averaging about 18 points per game while Watson is scoring nearly 11 per contest as Annapolis improved to 13-3 overall.

Annapolis girls lose to North County

The Annapolis High girls basketball team lost, 78-74, to North County in double overtime on Feb. 1 even though five players scored in double figures for the Panthers. Nicole Brown had 17 points, Kelly Rinard had 16, Terri Bennett had 13, Allysha McFarland had 12 and Maya Butler had 10. Annapolis fell to 7-10 overall. Jones is averaging a team-high 11.3 rebounds per game and Butler is dishing out 4.2 assists per contest.

Johnson paces St. Mary's boys

Tevin Johnson had 18 points and Taylor Hurst added 12 on Feb. 1, but it was not enough as the St. Mary's boys lost, 61-52, to Annapolis Area Christian in boys basketball. The Saints fell to 9-16 oveall and 6-10 in the B league of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA).

St. Mary's girls will play college lacrosse

The girls basketball team at St. Mary’s held its own in the first quarter Jan. 31 against Notre Dame Prep, trailing by just 6 points. But the visitors outscored St. Mary’s 18-12 in the second quarter and 19-9 in the third and pulled away for a 65-39 win in a B conference game in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) contest.

Jennifer Broussard had 21 points to lead St. Mary’s, while Kelly Broussard and Melanie Mocniak, who has signed to play hoops at Division I Mount St. Mary's, each had 5 points. Stephanie Lazo had seven assists and five rebounds for the Saints.

"We did not come to play," St. Mary's head coach Terri Daniels told Patch on Feb. 1. "We beat Mount deSales (Friday), which beat Notre Dame Prep."

While Mocniak will play college basketball, two of her teammates plan to play lacrosse in college, Daniels said. Meghan McCarthy is headed to Harvard and Dani Lazo plans to play at Louisville.

Local grads at the college level

Brian Johnson, who grew up in Annapolis, is a senior guard for the University of Delaware men’s basketball team. He came off the bench in 18 of the first 21 games and averaged 17.2 minutes and 3.2 points per game. Johnson was a starter his first three seasons at Delaware but was injured just before this season began and has battled back to play a key role off the bench for the Blue Hens.

Delaware will host Drexel on Feb. 5. Johnson's older brother, Marcus, played at Annapolis High and at the College of Charleston.

Nolan Smith, who played middle school basketball at The Key School, is now a senior guard for Duke. He had 32 points, seven rebounds and four assists Jan. 30 as the Blue Devils lost at St. John’s, 93-78. He grew up in Upper Marlboro.

Trey Quinn, who played high school basketball at St. Mary’s, is now on the team at Anne Arundel Community College. Quinn has been one of the leading scorers this season for AACC.