William Gates (basketball)
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 28, 1971 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. Joseph (Westchester, Illinois) |
| College | Marquette (1991–1995) |
| NBA draft | 1995: undrafted |
| Position | Guard |
William Gates (born December 28, 1971) is an American former college basketball player. Gates and Arthur Agee are the two subjects of the 1994 documentary film Hoop Dreams.
Gates was a young man from the Cabrini–Green housing projects. He and Arthur Agee hoped to have their basketball talent turned into professional careers with the NBA. The documentary Hoop Dreams followed them through their recruitment by St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois. During high school, he worked hard to improve his basketball skills and his academics to the best of his ability, but he initially struggled with a low reading level. He struggled to get the required score of 18 on the ACT exam needed to earn a basketball scholarship at Marquette University and eventually managed a 17.5 aggregate score, which was rounded to 18. At St. Joseph, Gates suffered a knee injury that limited his playing and recruitment offers. He played three seasons for Marquette from 1991 to 1995. He appeared in 80 games, making 29 starts and scoring 399 points. He graduated from Marquette in 1995 with a communications degree.[citation needed]
