Tate Announces for Rhody
MacDuffie School and Expressions Elite forward Dana Tate announced his commitment to the University of Rhode Island Saturday during a ceremony at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.
Rhode Island is coming off their best season in recent memory in which they won the Atlantic 10 championship, advanced to the NCAA tournament, and won their opening round game against Creighton before narrowly falling to top seeded Oregon.
In Tate, the Rams are landing a versatile forward with a college ready body and proven work ethic. While he may have the natural build of an interior player, Tate's perimeter game has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years and his development is a credit to long hours spent in the gym.
He is perhaps most dangerous with his ability to get downhill with the ball in his hands but he's also evolved into a good shooter off the dribble while continuing to become more consistent from behind the three-point line.
"Dana has been one of the best kids we have had in our program," Expressions' director and head coach Todd Quarles said. "He has a tremendous versatile skill set that allows him to be a mismatch nightmare. He is equally good at taking bigger guys off the dribble as he is taking smaller guys in the post. Dana is a charismatic person with a great personality. URI will get a great player but an even better kid."
This spring, he played a critical role for Expressions as they finished 11-5 in the EYBL in order to reach the Peach Jam for the second consecutive year. He averaged nearly 12 points and 6 rebounds on the season while shooting 50% from the field and 76% from the free-throw line according to D1 Circuit. He scored in double figures in 12 of his team's 16 games and had a season high of 29 points against E1T1 and five-star forward Emmitt Williams.
Below are some of his highlights from session 4 in California care of Endless Motor on YouTube
Dana Tate