SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah lost one of its beloved members of the basketball family Friday.
Walter Watts III, a key member of Rick Majerus’ first Sweet 16 squad in 1990-91, passed away Friday of an apparent heart attack. He was 47.
Watts was recruited to Utah with the body of an offensive lineman. Originally a 300-pounder, the 6-foot-8, 260-pound center averaged 10 points and seven rebounds in the Sweet 16 season, and even took a training camp invite with the Utah Jazz in the fall of 1991. But he was one of the last players cut, and move to a different sport: football.