Penn State's Mike Watkins, About to Begin Pro Basketball Career, Says 'I Lost Everything I Own'

Former Penn State basketball player Mike Watkins has started a GoFundMe before beginning his professional career in Colombia.

Former Penn State basketball player Mike Watkins, who soon will begin his professional career in Colombia, has started a fundraiser after saying he "lost everything I own."

Watkins has signed a contract to play for Cimarrones del Choco, a team in Colombia's professional league that is scheduled to begin play in early October. In a Penn State release, Watkins, a 2020 graduate, called playing basketball professionally a "dream come true."

"I am grateful to the Cimarrones del Choco for providing me with this opportunity and I look forward to contributing on the court and in the community," Watkins said. "There are so many who have supported me as I went after this with everything I had and I share this success with them!"

But on Wednesday, Watkins created a GoFundMe page entitled "I lost everything I own." In the post, Watkins described having lost all of the possessions in his State College apartment after leaving to train in Florida during the spring COVID-19 campus shutdown.

"I have been away for months from my apartment which contained all of my belongings including all of my clothes, furniture, social security, birth certificate, and more," Watkins wrote. "Upon arrival to my apartment to collect all of my belongings, I was informed that they threw everything away with no regard or contacting me.

"... I am now forced to restart and rebuild my life days before I leave the country. Any prayers and financial help to lessen the burden and stress from this situation would be greatly appreciated."

Watkins finished his Penn State career with 953 rebounds, second in school history, and 1,169 points. He also had 33 double-doubles, second in school history, and led Penn State in blocked shots four times.

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