Yancy Gates, Senior, Power Forward, Cincinnati
Overview:
Yancy Gates had an eventful senior season at Cincinnati. He helped his team make a very nice run in the NCAA Tournament, capping off a solid Bearcats season. He also was involved in the nasty situation against Xavier early in the year. Along with a suspension, his play was very inconsistent in spots, as he never fully developed into Cincinnati’s reliable inside scorer that they needed him to be. His numbers, although improved on the surface, were actually less efficient than in his previous seasons. It took Gates nearly 11 field goal attempts a game to get his 12.2 points because his shooting percentage fell from 52% and 51% his sophomore and junior years respectively, all the way to 47%. Gates shot very poorly from the floor in the Bearcats’ final two tournament games as well.
Final Projection:
It is hard for NBA teams to project a player like Gates. He certainly has the strength and body to compete at the next level. He has shown the ability to score inside and rebound as well. However, the consistent production is not there (perhaps from a lack of effort?) and some off the court issues should also drop Gates’ stock come draft day. While earlier in the year, Gates was off draft boards, he has gotten himself back on the NBA radar with a chance of being selected in the second round. There is just too much unknown for him to rise any higher than that.
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