BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ
The line between professional and college sports has never been more blurred than it is today and it has had a major impact on whether or not players decide they want to go back to school, even when they already have a foot in the door at the pro level.
Former G League player Dink Pate “turned down Two-Way and 10-day contract offers from the Knicks” to play college ball and is “really, really fired up” about playing for Providence next season, head coach Bryan Hodgson told Andy Katz on Friday.
“To turn down two-way contracts and 10-day contracts offered to him by the New York Knicks, based on a statement made by the NCAA so that he can maintain his eligibility in college,” Hodgson said. “He made that educated decision and now he is here and he is really fired up about it.”
“I think it’s good, its more of a physical league, individually, you gotta be more physical for this type of league,” Pate told Katz about his decision to go the college. “But I think I’m ready for it.”
“Really just the indication that a lot of people was saying Dink Pate wasn’t ready for the NBA,” he continued. “So if you feel like I wasn’t ready for the NBA and I didn’t go to college, im here now.”
Pate was one of the last players to play for the NBA’s G-League Ignite team, development team designed to allow players to go straight from high school to professional play, before signing as an undrafted player with the Knicks and joining the team’s G-League affiliate.
“My main thing is to be a pro,” Pate said. Live like a pro, act like a pro. That was my whole process when I was 17 years old.”
With the Westchester Knicks, Pate averaged 16.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while showing flashes of elite athleticism.
Now, he will head back to school to play under Hodgson as the new head coach looks to bring a bright new era of basketball to Friartown.
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