Men's Basketball
Watkins, Levi
Levi Watkins
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- lnwatkin@ncsu.edu
- Phone:
- (919) 515-2104
Watkins re-joined his alma mater in April 2022 and the 2023-24 season is his second as an assistant coach.
Watkins is an NC State graduate, who played for the Pack from 2001-05. He played in 97 career games for NC State, and the Pack advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four years he was with the program.
After graduating from NC State with a bachelor's degree in business management, Watkins started his coaching career at his alma mater. He spent the 2005-06 season as administrator coordinator, before being elevated prior to the 2006-07 season to video coordinator. After three years as video coordinator, he became director of operations for the Pack prior to the 2009-10 season and spent four years in that role.
After nine years away from Raleigh, Watkins returned home for the 2022-23 as an assistant coach and made an immediate impact on the program as he helped lead NC State to a 23-11 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Watkins helped engineer NC State's frontcourt attack as DJ Burns became a cult hero in Raleigh as he averaged 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in ACC play.
Watkins return to NC State also helped the Pack land Jarkel Joiner as a grad transfer. Joiner played for three years under Watkins at Ole Miss. Joiner became one of the NCAA's best grad transfers in the 2023-24 season as Joiner averaged 17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assist per game to garner All-ACC Second Team honors.
Watkins got his first on-court coaching role in 2023 when he became an assistant coach at the University of Buffalo. He spent two seasons with the Bulls, who went a combined 42-20 in his two years with the program and advanced to the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
In the spring of 2015, Watkins moved onto Arizona State as an assistant coach. He spent three season with the Sun Devils . In Watkins’ final season at Arizona State, the Sun Devils were ranked as high as No. 3 in the AP poll (highest in school history) and was the last undefeated team in Division I men’s basketball. Arizona State went 12-0 in non-conference play and defeated two eventual 2018 NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds (Kansas, Xavier). Arizona State was the only major conference team to lead their conference in scoring and turnover margin. Also in Watkins’ final season at Arizona State, the Sun Devils broke their home basketball attendance record and participated in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
He spent the last four season as an assistant at Ole Miss. In his first season with the Rebels, Watkins helped bring Ole Miss to the NCAA Tournament as part of one of the nation’s biggest turnaround seasons. Predicted to finish last in the SEC by the media, the Rebels tied for sixth with a 10-8 conference mark.
Primarily coaching the post players, Watkins was instrumental in the growth and production of the Ole Miss frontcourt. After recruiting graduate transfer Romello White to Oxford, Watkins mentored the new Rebel as he embarked on a record-breaking 2020-21 season. White made an impact in his graduate season, breaking the school record for field goal percentage in a single season (64.9 percent). He also led the team in blocks (1.3 per game). Monitoring the pain and protecting the rim, Watkins’ big men helped Ole Miss lead the SEC in scoring defense. In Watkins' season, KJ Buffen blossomed into a starting role to average 10.1 ppg and a team-high 6.1 rpg. Watkins guided Khadim Sy in the transfer’s first season in Oxford, as the forward immediately contributed 9.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg.
A skilled recruiter with a keen eye for talent, Watkins' last recruiting class at Ole Miss was ranked 12th in the country and featured three players that were ranked in the Top-100 individual rankings by ESPN.
While prepped at Montrose Christian High School in Rockville, Maryland. He was a 2001 Parade All-American and led his team to a final top 25 national ranking. As a senior, Watkins was named the Gatorade and USA Today Maryland State Player of the Year.
Watkins and his wife, Monica - also an NC State graduate - have two children: Levi (III) and Leah.
Watkins is an NC State graduate, who played for the Pack from 2001-05. He played in 97 career games for NC State, and the Pack advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four years he was with the program.
After graduating from NC State with a bachelor's degree in business management, Watkins started his coaching career at his alma mater. He spent the 2005-06 season as administrator coordinator, before being elevated prior to the 2006-07 season to video coordinator. After three years as video coordinator, he became director of operations for the Pack prior to the 2009-10 season and spent four years in that role.
After nine years away from Raleigh, Watkins returned home for the 2022-23 as an assistant coach and made an immediate impact on the program as he helped lead NC State to a 23-11 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Watkins helped engineer NC State's frontcourt attack as DJ Burns became a cult hero in Raleigh as he averaged 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in ACC play.
Watkins return to NC State also helped the Pack land Jarkel Joiner as a grad transfer. Joiner played for three years under Watkins at Ole Miss. Joiner became one of the NCAA's best grad transfers in the 2023-24 season as Joiner averaged 17.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assist per game to garner All-ACC Second Team honors.
Watkins got his first on-court coaching role in 2023 when he became an assistant coach at the University of Buffalo. He spent two seasons with the Bulls, who went a combined 42-20 in his two years with the program and advanced to the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
In the spring of 2015, Watkins moved onto Arizona State as an assistant coach. He spent three season with the Sun Devils . In Watkins’ final season at Arizona State, the Sun Devils were ranked as high as No. 3 in the AP poll (highest in school history) and was the last undefeated team in Division I men’s basketball. Arizona State went 12-0 in non-conference play and defeated two eventual 2018 NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds (Kansas, Xavier). Arizona State was the only major conference team to lead their conference in scoring and turnover margin. Also in Watkins’ final season at Arizona State, the Sun Devils broke their home basketball attendance record and participated in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
He spent the last four season as an assistant at Ole Miss. In his first season with the Rebels, Watkins helped bring Ole Miss to the NCAA Tournament as part of one of the nation’s biggest turnaround seasons. Predicted to finish last in the SEC by the media, the Rebels tied for sixth with a 10-8 conference mark.
Primarily coaching the post players, Watkins was instrumental in the growth and production of the Ole Miss frontcourt. After recruiting graduate transfer Romello White to Oxford, Watkins mentored the new Rebel as he embarked on a record-breaking 2020-21 season. White made an impact in his graduate season, breaking the school record for field goal percentage in a single season (64.9 percent). He also led the team in blocks (1.3 per game). Monitoring the pain and protecting the rim, Watkins’ big men helped Ole Miss lead the SEC in scoring defense. In Watkins' season, KJ Buffen blossomed into a starting role to average 10.1 ppg and a team-high 6.1 rpg. Watkins guided Khadim Sy in the transfer’s first season in Oxford, as the forward immediately contributed 9.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg.
A skilled recruiter with a keen eye for talent, Watkins' last recruiting class at Ole Miss was ranked 12th in the country and featured three players that were ranked in the Top-100 individual rankings by ESPN.
While prepped at Montrose Christian High School in Rockville, Maryland. He was a 2001 Parade All-American and led his team to a final top 25 national ranking. As a senior, Watkins was named the Gatorade and USA Today Maryland State Player of the Year.
Watkins and his wife, Monica - also an NC State graduate - have two children: Levi (III) and Leah.
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