Men's basketball: Long, hard road worth it for UC’s Gates

By Todd Jones

The Columbus Dispatch Thursday March 22, 2012 5:25 AM



BOSTON — Yancy Gates is so big, it seems as if his arms have two different ZIP codes, and such hulking size has been necessary for the Cincinnati forward to lug around loads of criticism.

“He has had the weight of the world on his shoulders for four years,” coach Mick Cronin said.

Gates spurred various recruiters, including a scholarship offer from Ohio State, to play for his hometown university when the basketball program was rebuilding under Cronin, who’s also a Cincinnati native.

Local fans ripped Gates for underachieving early in his career, and barbs turned especially sharp in December when Cincinnati suspended him six games for being the central figure in a brawl against Xavier.

Now there is a lightness about Gates — the first player to lead Cincinnati in rebounding in four consecutive seasons — that belies his 6-foot-9, 260-pound frame.

The senior is at peace, playing some of the best ball of his career, and has the sixth-seeded Bearcats (26-10) back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001. They play No. 2-seeded Ohio State (29-7) tonight in an East Regional semifinal, the first NCAA Tournament matchup between the schools in 50 years.

“It’s fun. I’m enjoying the experience,” Gates said yesterday.

Fun will look like sumo wrestling tonight as Gates — Cincinnati’s lone big man in a four-guard starting lineup — will be bumping and tussling with another 6-9 wide-body listed at 265 pounds in Ohio State sophomore Jared Sullinger.

“Those two are going to go at it,” Cincinnati guard JaQuon Parker said. “I’m looking forward to the matchup itself.”

So are Gates and Sullinger, who know and like each other from one high-school meeting and some time spent together last summer at a basketball camp in Los Angeles.

“Yancy is a funny guy,” Sullinger said. “He’s always joking and always having fun, which is funny because I’m the same way.”

The image of a jokester doesn’t come to mind for many when they picture Gates. He heard people calling him a thug — and worse — after he punched Xavier center Kenny Frease near the end of the Bearcats’ 76-53 loss on Dec. 10.

Cincinnati suspended four players the next day and made them publicly apologize and face media questions. Gates held his head in his hands and wept during the news conference.

“I took my punishment,” he said.

At the time, the Bearcats were 5-3. Cronin scrapped the offense, designed to go through Gates, and switched to a four-guard lineup. Cincinnati then won all six games without Gates.

He returned Jan. 4 to taunts from opposing fans and questions about his future role.

“Would Yancy fit in to the way we were playing?” Cronin asked.

It was the latest question among many about Gates since he signed out of Withrow High School in Cincinnati.

“I was highly recruited and (fans) were expecting that I would come in and right away take the team where it is now,” Gates said.

The Bearcats went 37-30 in his first two seasons, but they went 26-10 last year, finally ending five consecutive years without an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Gates accepted a diminished scoring role after returning from his suspension and concentrated on defense and rebounding .

“Yancy really had to change his basketball personality,” Cronin said, “from being an offensive player to an all-around player. He’s had to be our anchor because we’re smaller.”

Gates was named to the Big East all-tournament team after averaging 16.7 points and 7.0 rebounds as the Bearcats advanced to the title game for the first time. He’s averaging 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in his past six games, including NCAA Tournament wins over Texas and Florida State.

“I came here knowing the program was in rebuilding mode,” said Gates, one of only six players in Cincinnati history with more than 1,400 points and 900 rebounds. “I knew I could come here and help other players to look in and say it’s not such a bad idea. You look up now … we’re in the Sweet 16, and it makes it all worth it.”

On Sunday, Cronin hugged his big man in the waning seconds of a win over Florida State.

“I’m happy for you,” the coach told Gates.

Finally, there was reason for both to smile.

tjones@dispatch.com

Comments


Jerald Mann (jmtellico)

Gates was not only the "central figure" in the "mugging", he threw the right hook sucker punch that decked the Xavier player. Mbodj then stomped on the fallen player. I believe in 2nd chances but his should not be on a collegiate basketball court. His 2nd chance was that he wasn't charged with felonous assault. The Xavier players were just playing basketball and their winning the game shouldn't have let to being victims. Here's hoping this is a great and clean game but with 3 players acting like felons, sportsmanship may be hard to find. Think of what could happen, UC is losing, they can't take it "again" so they start another mugging, OSU players rush to the court in defense and they and all involved, serve a mandatory game suspension and our season is ruined. UC's season is over, what do they care. Think it can't happen? If you are old enough to remember, do you remember what happened to OSU players at Minn. Before Fred Taylor died I was able to talk to him at "The Club". He confirmed then that for him, coaching was no longer fun and that incident led to his retirement. Send them back to the projects not the basketball court.

2012-03-22 09:53:13.0

http://www.buckeyextra.com/content/stori...gates.html

I love all of the publicity a sweet 16 appearance brings, but these articles all seem to be written from a template.
Any pub is good pub.

BTW, Jerald Mann is a d-bag.

Do yourself a favor and read the "Comment".

(03-22-2012 09:29 AM)ctipton Wrote:  Do yourself a favor and read the "Comment".

And my Columbus Dispatch posting:

Dear Jerald Mann Xavier players were taunting the UC bench the whole game. A Xavier player shoved a UC player to the floor. There was no excuse for Gates' punch, and he served the penalty meted out to him. Mr Gates has a strong family, and doesn't live in the projects. In 4 years he has never exhibited any cheap or aggressive behavior. You may not realize it, but the NCAA does use referees to call fouls if they are warranted. Your beloved Buckeyes season will be over tonight, not in the manner you dreamed, but by a humbling loss to the Bearcats. You can't buy your way out of this game tonight. Your attitude is the exact reason the Bearcat Fans have such distain for Ohio State, and could care less is there is an annual game.

(03-22-2012 09:29 AM)ctipton Wrote:  Do yourself a favor and read the "Comment".

Yeah, saw that after I posted. His comment came up weird on my phone so I missed it.

Oh well, any pub is good pub, right?

Re comment: Clearly another idiot who doesn't know the details. Poor little X the victims of the thuggy UC felons. Guess he didn't know X was the kid poking the caged grizzly in the eyes with a stick...

Jerald Mann (jmtellico) - You are a prime example of why the world dislikes (hates?) your team and city. The incident began not because of the game, but because of x players taunting the coaches and bench players/then jacked a UC player to the floor.

Let's not forget your LB, Robert Reynolds, choked a defenseless Jim Sorgi or your former Coach Woodrow - adult - threw a sucker punch at a Clemson player - kid. Felons?

As if I didn't need another reason to root on the Bearcats to roll the Bag-o-Nuts. Mr. Mann you just gave me another, in a long line of reasons to dislike anything Clownbus related. At the end of the day UC continues to operate the right way and I get to wake up in Cincinnati instead of Clownbus.

Good read...

We arr getting GREAT press this has to help with recruiting. Man is good to be back in the national spotlight!!!!

Go Cats!

I'm tired of hearing and talking about the brawl. The misinformation and wrong perception of what happened drive me nutz.

All I know is that UC came together and Xavier fell apart, only to get lucky in the tournament with Duke losing to Lehigh. Same story, different season. I'm sure they'll write a book called the Final 17 or whatever after tomorrow night.

(03-22-2012 09:36 AM)BearcatBeta Wrote:  

(03-22-2012 09:29 AM)ctipton Wrote:  Do yourself a favor and read the "Comment".

And my Columbus Dispatch posting:

Dear Jerald Mann Xavier players were taunting the UC bench the whole game. A Xavier player shoved a UC player to the floor. There was no excuse for Gates' punch, and he served the penalty meted out to him. Mr Gates has a strong family, and doesn't live in the projects. In 4 years he has never exhibited any cheap or aggressive behavior. You may not realize it, but the NCAA does use referees to call fouls if they are warranted. Your beloved Buckeyes season will be over tonight, not in the manner you dreamed, but by a humbling loss to the Bearcats. You can't buy your way out of this game tonight. Your attitude is the exact reason the Bearcat Fans have such distain for Ohio State, and could care less is there is an annual game.

good answer. It's time for the rest of the world to get over the image that was given to UC over the years during the Huggins era. ESPN1530 website has a video of one of the radio personalities in Columbus calling UC a bunch of Thugs. That is so far off base and just shows their ignorance. UC has a clean program that really stresses academics and a positive public image. O$U certainly isn't showing the world an image of great academics and community service. On the contrary, the program is so full of cheating that they'll have a long time to try to shed that image to the world. Their Boosters have been a major culprit in it but the players of O$U SURE didnt mind grabbing the money and running.
go bearcats!!!!!!!!!!! whup their arrogant butss!

OHIO STATE fans are not much different than the arrogant, foul mouthed Xavier fans. Main difference is O$U isn't hiding behind a religion.