Gates calls it for Xavier
St. Francis (GA) combo forward Kaiser Gates ended his recruitment on Thursday afternoon, going to Twitter to tell the world that he's headed north to play at Xavier University.
I would like to thank all the schools that have recruited me but I am commiting to Xavier University #blessed pic.twitter.com/un2ySg1DAI
— Kaiser gates (@Kaisergates) October 16, 2014
Gates, a 6-foot-7 forward, said he liked what he learned about head coach Chris Mack and his success with putting players into position to advance their careers at the professional level.
"I love the fact coach Mack has 16 or 17 pros and none of them were All-Americans. The fact that he develops players that well meant a lot to me," Gates said.
The draw of being closer to home was also appealing, Gates said.
"Xavier is closer to home than Texas Tech (his other finalist). I have family in Dayton, Detroit and around," he said. "Plus, their academic program and everything about it is great there."
Xavier is getting a talented offensive player in Gates and an undervalued rebounder. The No. 7 overall senior in Georgia said he likes the vision Mack has for him moving forward.
"He sees me playing the three and a stretch four. I'll play either one. That doesn't bother me," Gates said. "I think I can fit in because they get the ball and push. That's how our high school plays. I still have to see how I fit in their offense some more but I think I'll fit in really well."