ABF sent us this info on a kid she knows in
Knoxville. He's good enough to get some letters from Duke, among others, and is
being recruited at at least the Southern Conference level. For you coaches who are
reading, he sounds like he's at least worth investigating. And if there are any late
camps anyone might know of where he could catch someone's eye, let us know. Thanks!
Remember the other day we were discussing my friend's son, who is a rising HS senior
here in Knoxville? You asked me to send info about him, so here goes.
Kyle Yates Rising senior, Halls High School, Knoxville, Tennessee 6'3",
180 lbs. point guard, sometimes off-guard or shooting guard. (Point/shooting guard.)
Kyle's birthday is February 2, 1981; he will be nineteen when he graduates from HS.
2-pt--average 64.6% 3-pt--average 31.9% (as point guard) overall (2 pt and 3pt) 51.4%
free throw 84.2% rebounds 2.5 per game assists total 175 (avg. 6 per game) steals 61 Avg.
19 ppg
Kyle made the all-KIL (Knoxville Interscholastic League) first team. In fact, he was
tied for KIL Player of the Year, and since Kyle was only a junior, the honor went to the
senior. He was All-District and All-Region, received All-State honorable mention.
Tennessee is not a hotbed of college recruiting, but Kyle is a special case, being an
implant from Kentucky who is named for Kyle Macy. Kyle's dad, Craig, has worked with Kyle
from the day he could hold a basketball. Kyle is well-schooled in the fundamentals of
basketball, and has a very strong work ethic. His dad has always established role models
for Kyle, including our own Wojo. I remember during summers, when Kyle was in the early
years of middle school, his dad would drop him off at their neighborhood YMCA with a bag
lunch and a list of drills, leaving him there the entire day. "Now I don't want you
just out there shooting the ball and messing around," Kyle's dad would say to him.
"You work on these drills."
The year before Kyle was a HS freshman, the Yates family started working with a former
Division One coach who gave Kyle lessons on a one-on-one basis. The coach was a former
assistant at San Jose State, former assistant at Grambling, and also coached Athletes in
Action. (I have seen this guy using Kyle as his "example" as he went through
drills on a show he had on the local cable access channel.) Kyle has also worked on
strength training with a personal trainer, working on his own now. Further, the Yateses
decided to also help Kyle with academics, obtaining tutors in certain areas and sending
him to a local learning center. From the days of solitary work as a little guy at his
neighborhood YMCA, he now scrimmages with the cutthroat guys who play at the Downtown
YMCA. (These guys are tough, including some former college players and even a former NFL
player.)
Kyle has played in the AAU league including the AAU Nationals for 17 and under and
attended the Blue Chip camp at Georgetown, last summer. This summer he's attending summer
school, taking Geometry. This has hurt his ability to take part in camps, but he is
playing with his local HS team which is playing other local HS teams during the summer.
Right now, the family is looking for a camp for him to attend after summer school ends,
July 23rd. He really isn't able to go to a camp until summer school ends. The sad thing
is, Kyle led his AAU team to qualify for the Nationals, but he can't attend due to the
rigors of summer school.
Kyle is a great kid from a very strong, wonderful family. It would be great if someone
would recruit Kyle such that he could play at the highest level at which he is capable.
I appreciate any advice or assistance you may have for Kyle and his family.