by: B. Clifton Burke
Yancy Gates may be a newcomer to the basketball team, but he's no stranger to the city. Gates is arguably the most celebrated freshman from the Cincinnati area to play for the University of Cincinnati since Damon Flint in 1994. The 6 foot 8 inch freshman forward and former Withrow star, averaged 21.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.7 assists a game his senior year in high school. He was named the Associated Press Division I Ohio player of the year, and also named to the Parade Magazine All-America fourth team.
Yet when asked what type of player he considers himself, he remains humble.
“I’m a coach’s player. My biggest strengths are outrunning opposing big men and being physical,” Gates said at a media session before practice, Friday.
His role, like the rest of the team’s, has changed since point guard Cashmere Wright suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier in the week. He lists rebounding, playing solid defense and scoring when the team needs it, as his top priorities going into the season.
“It’s going to be different without a true point guard. The team is going to have to adjust to it,” Gates said.
Coach Mick Cronin described how he plans to simply eliminate the point guard position following the injury to Wright and that now any player can bring the ball up the court. He said the way the Bearcats plan on running an offense without a point guard is to pass the ball into bigger players earlier in the shot clock.
“We want to pass entry instead of dribble entry,” Cronin explained.
Cronin called Gates adaptable and said he’s looking for Gates and fellow big man, Mike Williams, to release to the outside when the offense is stagnant or when they’re having a hard time with the pass entry.
Gates said that he’s ready to contribute in any way the coaches request of him, and that his personal goals revolve around the team’s success.
He explained of how the transition from the high school level to a major Division I program like UC has been a major change to him. Players are bigger, practices are longer, and the intensity and physicality are significantly greater than it was for him in high school. He said that longer days on campus have taken some getting used to as well.
Gates said he likes everything about this season’s Bearcats but he especially appreciates the attitudes of his teammates and coaches.
When asked of his reasons to stay in Cincinnati over other schools that recruited him - Ohio State, Michigan and North Carolina State to name a few – Gates credits Coach Cronin for showing interest in him immediately after landing the head coaching job. Cronin’s early recruitment of Gates, along with UC’s inclusion into the Big East conference made his decision to stay in his home town, easier.
“I wanted to play in the best conference in the country: the Big East,” Gates said.
Cronin has called Gates the best Cincinnati high school player since the legendary LaSalle Thompson, who played at Withrow in the late 1970’s and later enjoyed 15 seasons in the NBA.
Gates joins a highly touted freshman class that also includes Wright, forward Steven Toyloy, guard Dion Dixon, and 7-footer John Riek.
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