Noted for brawl, Yancy Gates tries out for Warriors

If you do a simple online search for Yancy Gates, one site suggests "Yancy Gates brawl" and another recommends "Yancy Gates fight."

The University of Cincinnati forward knows his violent actions during an on-court December melee will forever be attached to his name, but he's hoping to prove that the event won't define him.

"My actions were not what I am about as a person," Gates said Saturday when he participated in a predraft workout at the Warriors' downtown Oakland facility. "I learned a lot. I think the brawl helped me grow up a little bit. It taught me how to deal with different situations and adversity.

"The time I wasn't playing gave me time to sit and reflect on the opportunity I had been blessed with."

The 6-foot-9 prospect with the massive frame had plenty of time to ruminate, because Gates was suspended for six games and per Big East rules wasn't allowed in the Cincinnati basketball facility.

He thought about how wrong it was to throw the ball at a Xavier player in the closing minute of that December game. He thought about how disgusting it was to sucker-punch Kenneth Frease, opening a huge, bloody gash under Frease's left eye. He thought about how he exacerbated the situation by hitting at least one other Xavier player during a fracas that brought an end to the game with time still on the clock.

Mostly, he thought about how his name had become synonymous with terms like "villain" and "punk" in the college basketball community.

Gates knew he would need to take drastic measures to repair his image, and he started with a heartfelt apology.

No speechwriter. No script. Nothing but emotion and remorse.

"A lot of people have been calling me a thug or a gangster, and that really affected me," Gates said. "I felt like I let down myself, my family, my teammates and the fans."

Now Gates is making the rounds - through San Antonio, Oakland and New York last week - trying to prove that he's matured enough to start a professional career. He's trying to prove that he's worth it to an NBA team that's considering using a draft pick and investing in his future.

There's little question that Gates has the game to win that argument.

He weighed a prospect-high 287 pounds at the Portsmouth Invitational last month, but said he was down to 270 by the time he worked out for the Warriors. He wants to be down to 260 pounds by next month's draft, a playing weight that would allow him to showcase his power and athleticism.

Gates displayed some of that in Oakland. His wingspan was 7-foot-3, and he shocked with his vertical jump. On his first jump, he leaped more than 30 inches, causing the Warriors to raise the testing pole for his second jump.

The Warriors need a backup big man and more rebounding, and Gates fits that mold and is expected to be available when they pick 52nd overall. Gates averaged 11.5 rebounds, including 4.1 offensive boards, per 40 minutes his senior season.

"I think I was able to show them how athletic I am, which is something I didn't really get to show as much as I would have liked to in college," Gates said. "As far as getting up and down (the court), I was able to show some skills I've been working on. I'd be comfortable in a fast-paced (offensive) system and still be a physical presence on defense."