Past early commitments include all big ten performers Dean Oliver and Jeff Horner......
City High sophomore-to-be Matt Gatens has known for a long time where he'd end up playing college basketball.
So on Tuesday, he made it official.
The 6-foot-5 Little Hawk went across town and told men's basketball coach Steve Alford that he was giving him a verbal commitment to be part of the 2008 recruiting class at the University of Iowa.
"I knew all along, on the inside, that I wanted to be a Hawk," Gatens said. "If I wanted to do it down the road, I might as well do it now."
Gatens, the son of former Hawkeye basketball player Mike Gatens, averaged about 18 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals as a freshman for City High.
Matt Gatens said he and his father had sat down and talked about it in the last few weeks, and had gotten serious about it.
"I thought it was the right time to do it," Matt Gatens said. "They told me if I did it now, it'd help them out, and it'd be good for me."
Gatens said he was excited to be joining a Hawkeye program that is coming off an NCAA tournament season and that already is generating excitement for the upcoming season.
"I really like the coaching staff, all the guys over there," Gatens said. "They are doing a good job. They were real excited, and that's one of the main reasons I want to go."
Gatens has been used in a variety of spots in the Little Hawk offense, but he projects as an off-guard in college.
"I'm kind of hoping I grow a little bit more," Gatens said. "If not, I'll try to be a point guard. I don't know right now. Hopefully, I grow more, and be more of a shooting guard."
Because of his size, Gatens often works down low in high school games, but also is known for a razor-sharp shooting touch that extends out to NBA 3-point range.
Gatens will celebrate his commitment with another summer playing in the Prime Time League. He was in the league last year after finishing eighth grade. He also plays for the Martin Bros. AAU team, which features Wisconsin recruit Jason Bohannon, a senior-to-be at Linn-Mar, among others.
Like Jeff Horner and other recruits who committed early to be Hawkeyes, Gatens said he understood that making a commitment early meant putting an even bigger target on his back for his sophomore season at City High.
"Teams will try and put more attention on me," Gatens said. "I'll just try to work with my teammates and stay within myself, and not let it bother me. If I don't score points, that's fine."
City High coach Curt Johansen said that Gatens already is used to the pressure after seeing game plans tailored to stop him during his freshman year.
"That was the guy they needed to stop for us," Johansen said. "We have other good players, obviously, but you have to give him special attention on how to handle him in a game."
Johansen said Gatens already has matured, and the coach is excited about seeing how his player develops in the next three years.
"He obviously has got the athletic ability, and he showed last year what he had the potential to become," Johansen said. "(Committing) may make him feel a lot more relaxed."
It probably made Gatens feel right at home. His father lettered for Iowa from 1974-76, and his mother was a Hawkeye cheerleader. His sister Nicole played soccer, and his sister Megan currently is on the Hawkeye volleyball team.
"I made the decision on my own, but it's kind of nice following in (dad's) footsteps," Gatens said. "That played into it."
City High sophomore-to-be Matt Gatens has known for a long time where he'd end up playing college basketball.
So on Tuesday, he made it official.
The 6-foot-5 Little Hawk went across town and told men's basketball coach Steve Alford that he was giving him a verbal commitment to be part of the 2008 recruiting class at the University of Iowa.
"I knew all along, on the inside, that I wanted to be a Hawk," Gatens said. "If I wanted to do it down the road, I might as well do it now."
Gatens, the son of former Hawkeye basketball player Mike Gatens, averaged about 18 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals as a freshman for City High.
Matt Gatens said he and his father had sat down and talked about it in the last few weeks, and had gotten serious about it.
"I thought it was the right time to do it," Matt Gatens said. "They told me if I did it now, it'd help them out, and it'd be good for me."
Gatens said he was excited to be joining a Hawkeye program that is coming off an NCAA tournament season and that already is generating excitement for the upcoming season.
"I really like the coaching staff, all the guys over there," Gatens said. "They are doing a good job. They were real excited, and that's one of the main reasons I want to go."
Gatens has been used in a variety of spots in the Little Hawk offense, but he projects as an off-guard in college.
"I'm kind of hoping I grow a little bit more," Gatens said. "If not, I'll try to be a point guard. I don't know right now. Hopefully, I grow more, and be more of a shooting guard."
Because of his size, Gatens often works down low in high school games, but also is known for a razor-sharp shooting touch that extends out to NBA 3-point range.
Gatens will celebrate his commitment with another summer playing in the Prime Time League. He was in the league last year after finishing eighth grade. He also plays for the Martin Bros. AAU team, which features Wisconsin recruit Jason Bohannon, a senior-to-be at Linn-Mar, among others.
Like Jeff Horner and other recruits who committed early to be Hawkeyes, Gatens said he understood that making a commitment early meant putting an even bigger target on his back for his sophomore season at City High.
"Teams will try and put more attention on me," Gatens said. "I'll just try to work with my teammates and stay within myself, and not let it bother me. If I don't score points, that's fine."
City High coach Curt Johansen said that Gatens already is used to the pressure after seeing game plans tailored to stop him during his freshman year.
"That was the guy they needed to stop for us," Johansen said. "We have other good players, obviously, but you have to give him special attention on how to handle him in a game."
Johansen said Gatens already has matured, and the coach is excited about seeing how his player develops in the next three years.
"He obviously has got the athletic ability, and he showed last year what he had the potential to become," Johansen said. "(Committing) may make him feel a lot more relaxed."
It probably made Gatens feel right at home. His father lettered for Iowa from 1974-76, and his mother was a Hawkeye cheerleader. His sister Nicole played soccer, and his sister Megan currently is on the Hawkeye volleyball team.
"I made the decision on my own, but it's kind of nice following in (dad's) footsteps," Gatens said. "That played into it."
