YOUNGSTOWN — From high school through college, former Youngstown State guard Jewel Watkins’ basketball journey has been shaped by family.

On Nov. 19, 2019, Watkins’ father, J.T., passed away when she was a junior at Whitehall-Yearling outside of Columbus. Watkins was only 16 years old at the time, and the loss hit her hard.

But one silver lining that came from his passing was that it made Watkins more cognizant of the importance of family.

“Without my Dad being here, it definitely has been really hard,” Watkins said. “It’s definitely made me — I don’t know if I would say closer to my family, but more connected to my family and (it made me) value my family a lot more.”

Since her father’s death, one thing has kept her going: basketball.

Now, after concluding her college career and gradu

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