Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Bates knows role for Bulldogs
“I take it as a challenge to get to guard their best player. It’s something I take a lot of pride in.” Springdale sophomore Cy Bates
SPRINGDALE — Cy Bates knows every night that he takes the court for the Springdale boys basketball team, his performance is likely to have a big impact on the outcome of the game.
It’s just sometimes hard to gauge that impact simply by glancing at the scoresheet.
Bates, a 6-3 sophomore who moved in from Bentonville West last summer, is not counted on to carry a big scoring load for the Bulldogs (25-8). Sophomore guards Courtland Muldrew and Isaiah Sealy usually provide plenty of that.
What Bates brings to the team is sometimes not visible on the stat sheet. Hardnosed defense, usually on the opponents’ best player, and rebounding is where Bates makes his team better. And sometimes it’s not so much his rebounding as it is making sure his man doesn’t get a chance to rebound by boxing them out away from the ball.
“Last week, I was in here watching film and I was just amazed watching Cy at both ends of the floor,” Springdale Coach Jeremy Price said. “At the offensive end, he was getting offensive rebounds just by sheer determination, and at the defensive end, he was locking down his man.
“Those are the kind of players you can’t take off the floor as a coach. There is no question we’re not still playing without that kind of play from him.”
Price knows what it takes to win at the highest levels of high school basketball. Springdale is making the fourth state championship game appearance in program history today when the Bulldogs take on Jonesboro (293) at 1:45 p.m. today in the Class 6A boys state championship game at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.
Price, a Springdale lifer, has been involved in three of those games as a player, as an assistant coach and now this season’s run as the head coach.
In the state tournament last week in Rogers, Bates was tasked with guarding two of the state’s top players in Annor Boateng of Little Rock Central and Tucker Anderson of Bentonville West. On both occasions, Bates went toe-to-toe and came out helping his team to a pair of wins. Sure, Boateng and Anderson got their points, but they earned them the hard way, Price said.
“I take it as a challenge to get to guard their best player,” Bates said. “It’s something I take a lot of pride in, and I want to do whatever it takes for us to get that dub.”
Bates grew up in Springdale and was friends with a number of the players on the team until he moved into the Bentonville West system in junior high school. He was also a member of the football program at West, which likely explains his toughness and grit in the paint.
But an injury derailed his football career, and a family move sent him south back to Springdale last summer.
He was able to join the Bulldogs’ basketball team last summer, and Price said it took about five minutes of practice time to see what Bates could bring to the team.
“We saw immediately that he was not afraid to mix it up,” Price said.
Price also knows that there’s more to Bates’ game than just doing the dirty work. Bates often stays on the court well after practice ends working on other parts of his game. In the Bulldogs’ 58- 46 win against West in the semifinals last Saturday night, Bates knocked down a corner three- pointer in Springsdale’s early barrage that fueled a 23-10 start to the game.
“I feel confident in my ability to score when we need it,” said Bates. “I’ve worked hard on that since coming back from my injury.”
Another challenge awaits today as tradition- rich Jonesboro seeks to add the 6A championship to its trophy case in its first year in the state’s largest classification.
But Bates said his team is ready and looking forward to the challenge.
“We’re ready to show everyone what Springdale basketball is all about,” he said. “Jonesboro is a great team, and I think we’re a great team.”