April 13, 1998
Dennis Gates, a highly regarded 6-4 guard from Whitney Young High School in Chicago, has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at California, head coach Ben Braun announced Monday.
Gates, who can play either point or shooting guard and is the first recruit to sign with Cal this year, is considered a consummate team player who established himself as one of the nation's top defensive guards this past season. He averaged 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.5 steals last year.
On a team that featured five players who are expected to play NCAA Division I basketball next year, Gates was named MVP of the state championship game after leading his school to the Illinois Class AA (large schools) title. Whitney Young finished with a 30-1 overall record and a No. 2 national ranking from USA Today.
"Dennis is a winner in every sense of the word," Braun said. "He captained his team to the state championship and was the MVP in the state tournament. He is a natural leader and there is no question he is a future leader at Cal. He is an intelligent player who comes from a top-notch academic and athletic school. You like to build programs around players like Dennis Gates."
Gates, who goes by the nickname "the Sheriff" because of his defensive prowess, is ranked as the No. 12 shooting guard prospect in the country by ESPNET, while Clark Francis of Hoop Scoop said Gates "could be the most underrated player in the country."
A second team all-city and third team all-state selection, Gates was also chosen as the Chicago All-Academic Player of the Year.
Gates signed with Cal after considering such schools as Oklahoma, DePaul, Northeastern and Northwestern. Another reason for his decision to attend Cal was the fact that he played with current Cal freshman and fellow Chicagoan Sean Lampley on AAU teams for five years.
Sean Jackson Receives Release from Cal
Sophomore guard/forward Sean Jackson has received a release from his scholarship at Cal, allowing him the opportunity to seek information from other schools about transferring.
"Last week, I asked for my release so that I could pursue any options that I might have," Jackson said. "My transfer is not definite. I just want to see if I can find a better scenario for me. This is just something I want to explore."
Jackson played in 17 games for the Bears in 1997-98, starting the first seven contests. However, he saw action in just eight of 18 games during the Pac-10 season. He averaged 2.1 ppg and 1.1 rpg and tied for fourth on the squad with seven three-pointers.
"I support Sean in his interest to explore other schools," head coach Ben Braun said. "I know that Sean would like to make a contribution in his final two years in college, and I fully understand his interest in looking at schools where he may find more playing time."
