Gates still coming through on court
WAYNESBURG – Mark Gates has a knack for hitting clutch shots. As a high school senior, his three-pointer with 1:49 remaining gave Brownsville the lead for good against Blackhawk as the boys basketball team won its first-ever WPIAL championship last year.
And as a freshman at Waynesburg College, Gates is back on the court nailing even more historic shots.
The tennis court, that is.
Gates won the first conference championship by a Waynesburg men’s tennis player since the 1960s recently when he claimed the No. 5 singles title at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships held at Grove City College April 27.
No player at Waynesburg has won a conference title since 1966 when the Yellow Jackets competed in the NAIA. And while the program was discontinued for many years, Waynesburg didn’t have a champion in the sport since the school joined the PAC in 1990.
“Hopefully this starts something here,” Gates, who was seeded second in the tournament, said. “It is a real confidence boost for me, and I am looking forward to the next three years.”
Gates did not plan a tennis career at Waynesburg. However, while playing for the Yellow Jacket basketball team, he befriended Mike Pamepinto, who plays both sports and advised Gates to do the same.
“I like playing both sports,” Gates said. “Mike talked me into it and I went ahead and played. And I’m happy I did.”
So is third-year head coach Ron Christman.
“Anytime you have a player that can win a championship, it shows that we have a legitimate program,” Christman said. “I saw that he had some natural ability. We had a very good recruiting year.”
Christman, a USPTA member, rebuilt the Waynesburg men’s and women’s programs with a strong freshmen class featuring Gates and Eric Kaluza, who earned the team’s first All-PAC selections. Gates received first-team honors, while Kaluza and No. 1 doubles partner Pamepinto earned second-team laurels.
Christman first saw Gates play No. 1 singles at the WPIAL tennis championships last year when he led Brownville to the team semifinals.
But what impressed Christman was Gates’ ability to handle the game at the college level, not to mention on the heels of a basketball season.
“He’s a rarity,” Christman said. “It’s hard to reach the top levels as an athlete playing two sports because you play year round. You don’t see that too often.”
“It’s definitely a challenge,” Gates said. “It depends on what season it is. After basketball season is over it’s like ‘Well, I’m going to play tennis now.’ But when I had conditioning for basketball, the other kids got a head start on me.”
If his opponent had an edge on him, it did not show. Gates finished with an 11-5 singles record this season, concluding with his two wins at the PACs.
“The competition is a lot tougher,” Gates said. “So whenever I won, it felt real good.”
Gates defeated top-seeded Francis Burt of Washington & Jefferson (2-6, 6-2, 6-4) in the finals, after a thrilling win over Grove City’s Chris Spiker in the semi-finals.
Spiker had the match all but won when he led 5-4 in a tiebreaker, but Gates came back to win, 4-6, 6-0, 7-6.
“When I was down in the third set I didn’t have anything to lose,” Gates said. “I was taking more chances going down the line when he came up to the net. I have an unorthodox style. I don’t plan anything; it just comes.”
Christman consulted Gates during the match to calm him down during a service change and talk strategy.
“On the basketball court the coach can take a player out and talk to him,” Christman said. “In tennis that is not the case, because they have to go out and play the next point.
“He is very coachable. I can say things and he can make the adjustment, but when I say things to other players, they’ll revert back to their old ways.”
“I felt timid at first,” Gates said. “But coach calmed me down and told me just to play my game.”
Both players that Gates defeated at the PAC championships beat him during the regular season, despite both matches being decided in the third set.
“It felt good to get payback,” Gates said. “They were definitely beatable.”
“He came back and won in a dogfight,” Christman said. “He never quits a match until it’s over. He showed that in the semi-final when he was down so badly.”
Gates also competed in the No. 2 doubles bracket with teammate Guillermo Pradera, a junior from Algorta, Spain. The tandem took third place after losing in the semi-finals and winning a consolation.
The Yellow Jackets finished with a 7-7 record, while finishing in third place in the PAC behind Washington & Jefferson and champion Grove City.
Gates hopes his success will boost his play, not only on the tennis court but on the basketball court, as well.
While playing under head coach Rudy Marisa, Gates saw limited action, but he hopes to be a candidate for a starting position next season.
“It’s all about confidence and saying that you are going to win,” Gates added. “I’m still going keep up with both sports and use what happened in tennis to motivate me with basketball.”
Christman is also hoping more players “use” what Gates has going.
“If I had a whole team with his mental strength, we would go a long way,” Christman added. “I just wish we can bottle what he’s got and give it to his teammates.”