For two Mizzou basketball players, family stays close – home or away
Tucked away in the last few rows of Section 109 at Colonial Life Arena, whenever the pro-South Carolina crowd quiets, a small band of Mizzou fans loudly offer their support.
The moments are fleeting as part of another road loss for the Tigers — this time 76-54 to the Gamecocks — but the cheers are easily noticeable to any fans within earshot.
Once the final buzzer sounds, the dozen or so Mizzou supporters make their way down to the court. It’s their favorite part of each game. In what was a booming, crowded arena just 45 minutes ago, there’s peace … and a chance to meet with their favorite Mizzou players and sons.
For two Tigers, Dru Smith and Torrence Watson, their families travel the extra mile — or extra hundreds — to watch them play in person. Home or away. In the little downtime before they must get on the team bus, they chat up their loved ones who trekked for hours to see them compete.
“When we come out for warmups, I’m looking in the stands and I pinpoint my mom,” Watson said. “That’s always a great feeling. Then coming out of the game, she always has words of encouragement.”
From Evansville to Mizzou
For Smith, the crew usually consists of his mom, Kendra Giles, his stepfather, Lavarus Giles, and younger brother, Jaxon, 4. They’ve made it to every game, besides a few that are a tad too far, like the West Virginia, Temple and Texas A&M road trips.
They’re at every home game, too. But for the Evansville, Indiana natives, even the drives to Mizzou Arena are tough, considering it’s about a four-hour drive one way. It’s what they expected once Smith transferred from Evansville, Kendra Giles said.
“I just appreciate it,” Smith said. “I can’t do anything but thank them. It’s just something a lot of people don’t have.”
Like many parents, they traveled for Smith’s practices and games since his prep days, continuing that tradition as he entered college. When Smith suited up for the Purple Aces, they bounced around college towns in the Missouri Valley Conference.
But they had to take a one-year hiatus last season, when Smith had to sit out because of NCAA transfer rules. They took it in stride as Smith matured with his game behind the scenes.
“It was the first time I haven’t been able to watch him play in and probably 14 years,” Kendra Giles said. “It was a long year but I think it helped him develop.”
While Smith traveled west to Mizzou, it’s been a thrill to watch him play in the SEC, she said. Jaxon’s also used to the long drives as he’s frequently on the same trips to see Smith.
While they’re still visiting college towns, their support continues to be there as they’re ready to travel just about anywhere.
“He could play in China tomorrow,” Lavarus Giles said. “We would leave here to go to China tomorrow. We would be there every game no matter where it’s at. He’s a great kid.”
The pools and ice cream
For the Watsons, it’s oftentimes a traveling party of two: Torrence’s mom, Kimberly Watson, and his niece, Nevaeh, 5. Torrence’s dad or older brother tag along when time allows, but it’s mostly Kimberly driving the hundreds of miles herself with Nevaeh in a booster seat in the back.
Kimberly’s attendance at Mizzou games the past two years is nearly spotless. She’s missed just three games — all last year — and one of those instances was when a snowstorm forced Mizzou to reschedule its game at South Carolina. As of now, she plans to make it to every game this year.
But even for the faraway road trips, Kimberly doesn’t fly unless she has to. She drives everywhere from her home at St. Louis. When the Tigers played at Temple or West Virginia this season, she was right there alongside the Tigers.
While it’s a grind, especially for Nevaeh, Kimberly quipped how the 5-year-old only needs two things: ice cream at the games and a pool at the hotel they stay at. There’s also another reason Nevaeh comes to every game: Torrence insists on it.
“When my mom is like, I might get a babysitter for Nevaeh, I’m like, ‘No, no, no, she’s gotta come with you,’” Torrence said. “She’s like a sister to me. She doesn’t call me uncle anymore, she calls me her brother now.”
Since she’s been to so many road games, Kimberly has the game day process perfected. She gets in line at road games as early as possible, getting there long before any other fan. Once she’s settled in, she tells Torrence what she’s wearing so he can spot her within the crowd.
After the game, Torrence and Kimberly sit and talk until the last second, when the team bus is about to pull out. For a self-described “mama’s boy,” it’s the perfect chat, especially after a rough game and his mom has words of encouragement.
“It’s very important to me,” Watson said. “It makes a huge impact for me being able to see her after the games. Whether I did really well or whether I did really bad. More so the days where I did bad. Being on the road, not too many fans there.”
A growing friendship
While Watson and Smith are close as they spent the past two seasons at Mizzou together, their younger counterparts in Nevaeh and Jaxon are also two balls of energy, Kimberly said.
“They are something else,” Kimberly Watson said of the two. “At Mizzou (Arena), they’re all over the place after every game. You find one, you find the other.”
While the families don’t travel together, once they’re at Mizzou Arena or a road venue, they often sit next to each other as part of the away team’s ticket allocation. During the game, amid all the noise, the two can be seen together running about or playing on a tablet.
After the game, they’re quick to seek out either Dru or Torrence, respectively, alongside the rest of their families. Once Nevaeh sets her eyes on Torrence as he comes out of the tunnel, she’s quick to go in for a hug from the person she calls an older brother.
“Just seeing them play, it’s really fun,” Torrence Watson said. “It reminds me of myself, back when I used to go to my older brother’s basketball games. I always had one friend that I was always playing around with. Every time, after the game, they’re running around. They’re rough too. They’re some rough kids. It’s great to see them out here having fun.”