Basketball Community Mourns Loss of Legendary High School Star Brent Watson
The basketball world is in mourning following the death of Brent Watson, a towering figure in British Columbia high school sports history. Watson, who passed away on February 25 at the age of 82, was one of just three players ever to achieve back-to-back most valuable player awards at the B.C. high school boys basketball championships.
A Historic Achievement on the Court
In the 80-year annals of the provincial championships, only Paul Buday, Lars Hansen, and Brent Watson have secured consecutive MVP honors. Watson first claimed the award in 1960 while playing for Magee Secondary School in Vancouver, leading his team to a sixth-place finish. The following year, he repeated the feat, guiding Magee to a dominant 70-45 victory over Semiahmoo in the championship game.
Ray Soon of The Province chronicled that 1961 final, noting, "Watson, a smooth-moving, bundle of basketball knowledge, time-and-time again took rebounds from the fighting White Rock crew. If his rebounding didn’t hurt, his shooting certainly did." Standing at 6-foot-5, Watson leveraged his height advantage in an era dominated by guard play. Reflecting in 2008, he told The Vancouver Sun, "There weren’t many tall post players in that era. It was mostly a guard-oriented game. I had a height advantage over most of my opponents and used it."
A Legacy of Excellence and Family Ties
Watson's impact extended far beyond his high school days. He was inducted into the Basketball B.C. Hall of Fame twice—first as an athlete in 2011 and again in 2017 as a member of the 1967-68 Vancouver IGA Grocers, who won the senior men’s national championship. His accolades include being named the provincial high school player of the decade for the 1960s by The Vancouver Sun in 2008 and one of the 25 Greatest B.C. High School Basketball Players by The Province in 2020.
Ken Winslade, a longtime organizer of the provincial championships, emphasized, "Brent Watson is widely regarded as one of the top players in the 80-year history of B.C. high school boys basketball."
His basketball prowess was a family affair. Watson and his wife Sharman raised two children, Breanne and Kyle, who both became standout players for Richmond’s McMath Wildcats. Breanne played collegiately for the University of Washington Huskies, while Kyle suited up for the UBC Thunderbirds. In a 2004 article, The Vancouver Sun’s Elliott Pap recounted how Brent would still outshine his kids in driveway H-O-R-S-E games at age 61. Breanne, then 19, admitted, "As much as I hate to admit it, most of the time he takes the cake. I mean, we’ll get him every now and then but he somehow gets that ball in the hoop no matter how ugly it looks." Kyle, 17 at the time, added, "I beat him sometimes and he beats me a lot. He doesn’t miss from mid-range. He’s still got the touch."
Post-Playing Career and Memorial Scholarship
After high school, Watson played collegiately for the Washington State University Cougars and represented Canada internationally, including at World Masters Games in Portland, Edmonton, and Sydney. Off the court, he dedicated 30 years to teaching marketing and economics at Richmond’s Matthew McNair Secondary.
To honor his life and passion for the sport, a Brent Watson Memorial Scholarship is being established through Basketball B.C. Donations to the fund will support one female and one male graduating high school athlete annually from B.C. in pursuing post-secondary basketball careers, with all contributions eligible for tax receipts.
A celebration of life is scheduled for Sunday at Quilchena Golf & Country Club, beginning at 1 p.m., where friends, family, and fans will gather to remember a true basketball icon.
