#59 Aaron Watson

Whether he’s blowing past you on the track or beating you to the gym, The Good Doctor has embodied the Pitt Ultimate mantra of “having the humility to prepare” since the day he arrived. An avid basketball fan, a quiet romantic, a humble athlete, you can always rely on Doc Watson for a good conversation and an attentive gaze. He is the kind of captain that’ll help you finish your homework, turn around if you were left at the fields and make sure you make it to the bathroom when you’ve had too much to drink.

Like most great athletes and leaders, Doc has plenty of role models. In the arena of professional sports, Watson turns to guys like Russell Westbrook for inspiration. Not only does Watson see him as a dominant athletic force who out-works most of his opponents, he also sees him as a victim.

“He is still underrated and often the scapegoat for his team’s shortcomings,” Watson said. “I thrive when no one believes in me.”

Watson was molded in a time when the program was transitioning from being little more than a gritty defensive unit to leaders in strategy both on the offensive and defensive sides of the disc. As a consequence of his timing, he had the good fortune of learning from players like Julian Hausman, who turned into one of Aaron’s biggest role models here at Pitt.

“I have looked up to Julian Hausman for his willingness to do whatever his team asked him to do in order to win,” Watson said. “He was the team’s emotional leader and always made the big play when we needed one… he was a leader in track workouts and had every throw in the book.”