West Side’s Prentiss Gates is a freshman, but he doesn’t play like one.
College coaches have noticed. The 6-foot-7 forward received an offer from SMU in July, before he had even played in a high school game.
“He’s one of the best shot blockers I’ve seen at this age in a very long time,” West Side coach Chris Buggs said. “He rebounds well, has great hands, runs the floor really, really well and can guard multiple positions. But the biggest things he’s had a major impact in are blocking shots, rebounding and finishing by the rim.”
Gates’ stats back that up. He’s averaging 8.0 points, a team-high 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 3.0 blocks for the Cougars (13-7, 3-0), who have won the Great Lakes Athletic Conference for the second straight season. Those numbers have placed Gates among the state’s top freshmen.
But Buggs said Gates has stayed focused on “keeping the main thing the main thing,” and that’s not recruiting.
“I haven’t really been focusing on that,” Gates said. “My parents and my coaches, they try to take care of my recruiting. I was excited about (the SMU offer), but I made sure not to keep my mind on it because I’m not really worried about whether I have any offers now. I just want to get better.”
Gates’ father, Prentiss Jr., who played at Kennesaw State and professionally in Puerto Rico, is also a key figure in his development.
“When I’m on the court, he helps me focus,” Gates said. “He still works me out. He’s just been here for me.”
Gates also leans on his older sister Destiny, a sophomore forward on West Side’s girls basketball team, and his close friend and teammate DeShawn Clay Jr. Gates and Clay, a freshman guard, play together not only for West Side but also for Darius Garland Elite in AAU.
The presence of Clay, who is averaging 7.0 points and 3.5 rebounds, has helped Gates adjust to varsity basketball.
“He’s really like a brother to me,” Gates said. “I grew up with him, and I’ve been playing basketball with him all my life. I know his goods and bads, when to pass him the ball and when not to, and I’ve played with him so long that I kind of just know what he’s going to do.”
Gates and Clay spend time together away from their teams, too, mostly playing video games — Gates said he almost always wins — or scrimmaging at a local gym.
Clay agrees that bond makes a difference during games.
“We’ve played with each other for so long, we just know each other’s tendencies and what we can and can’t do,” Clay said. “We don’t try to force anything. We just play together.
“I encourage him. I always bring energy toward him and bring him up when he’s down. We’re basically brothers, so I’m always pushing him to do better, and when he does something good, I’m always there to give him a high-five.”
That duo makes Buggs optimistic about the Cougars’ future.
“We’ve been a program that’s not focused on actually winning all the time,” Buggs said. “Our main focus has been developing student-athletes. But with the potential they have and the type of people they are, I think they’re definitely going to help us win a lot of games.”
Development remains the priority, especially for Gates.
“It’s a blessing when you’re able to coach a kid like him, who’s very humble and comes from a great family,” Buggs said. “I think he could be a player, depending on how hard he keeps working at it, who plays for a very long time — definitely at the next level in college, and depending on how much he still loves the game, I think he could play after college, for sure.”
Noah Poser is a freelance reporter.
