Bates savors her HU experience, wants last ring

HAMPTON — Ashley Bates found a home away from home at Hampton University. She came to that realization very soon into her first recruiting visit to campus.

Four years later, that feeling is even stronger.

“When I came to Hampton, they made me feel like family,” said Bates, a Hopkins, Minnesota, native. “I just felt like this is where I belonged, and that’s how I’ve felt the whole time. They haven’t proven me wrong.”

Bates, a senior guard, is nearing the end of a prolific collegiate career, but not without one more shot at winning a conference championship and making the NCAA tournament. She leads the Pirates (18-11) into their Big South tournament quarterfinal against Gardner-Webb to night at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina.

Bates has been indispensable on offense and defense throughout her career at Hampton. Her 1,350 career points rank 10th in school history, and her 326 career steals are third alltime for HU, behind Jackie McWilliams (418 from 198791) and Sheila Hillman (329 from 1982-86).

“Where I come from, there’s not a lot of people who make it to where I am today, so it means everything that I was able to accomplish so much,” said Bates. “I’m just really blessed and grateful for everything and everybody who helped me along the way.”

Bates has been a defensive dynamo throughout her career at Hampton. She broke the Big South record with 125 steals last year en route to winning conference Player of the Year honors.

She has 100 steals this year and was recently named the Big South Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, becoming only the third player in conference history to accomplish that feat.

Bates has a knack for picking off passes and stripping opposing ball-handlers. She has recorded five or more steals seven times this season.

“Quite honestly, that’s just God-given,” Pirates coach David Six said. “She takes it to another level in terms of being able to strip the ball from people and being able to get in the passing lanes.”

After her stellar junior season, Bates sought to do even more as a senior. But her goals this year weren’t based on statistics. She wanted to provide more leadership to the Pirates’ younger players.

“I just wanted to be able to bring the best out of

Tourney glance

everybody else on my team, as well as myself,” said Bates, who is averaging 13.4 points, 2.4 assists, 3.4 steals and 5.6 rebounds per game this season. “I think that’s really the difference between this year and last year in my game. And it’s worked for me, me being a leader, me being more vocal.”

Bates has always provided a great example for others around her. There’s no questioning her work ethic, Six said.

“First, she has become a super student in terms of taking care of business in the classroom and knowing what direction she wants to move with her life, and that’s the most important thing when you come to college,” Six said. “As far as basketball is concerned, she is just a player who never cheated the process . ... She just always plays hard.”

Bates suffered a shoulder injury as a freshman and missed the final six games of the season. She was one of four key Pirates to go down late in the season, but Hampton still was able to win the MEAC championship and earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.

It was tough for Bates to watch it all from the sideline, but it was a valuable learning experience for her.

“From that year, I promised the seniors who were hurt to dedicate the rest of my career to them,” Bates said. “It’s hard to explain the feeling. We were sad, but we were proud. To see us fight through adversity like that, it was motivating.”

As Hampton wades through a tough period with injuries to key players Laren Van-Arsdale, a firstteam All-Big South selection, and Charlisa Jenkins, Bates thinks her experience with adversity will help her lead.

“I know in the back of my head that it can be done, it really can, so I’m just trying to stress that to my team,” Bates said. “It motivates me. I’m so ready, and I just need them to be on the same level as me.”

Bates wants to win for VanArsdale and Jenkins.

“Now we’re playing for them,” Bates said. “Now we’re playing with a different fire because we have to get it done for our family.”