Yates has emerged as the heartbeat of the Saints throughout the season and that was never more evident than on Wednesday night as he refused to let them lose while coming up with countless big plays. The senior guard was both persistently aggressive but steadily under control, expertly picking and choosing his spots when to attack. He was at his best using his quickness and shifty handle to attack the rim off the bounce, but his pullup 3 late in the third quarter was also one of the biggest shots of the game to keep Neumann within striking distance. His pair of blocked 3-point attempts on the defensive end in the fourth quarter were just the cherry on top for the lionhearted floor general who projects as an impact piece in the PSAC moving forward.

With his college commitment in the rearview, Yates has been able to put full focus on steering Neumann-Goretti back to Catholic League supremacy, and in the process has been playing as well as any guard in the PCL. Yates has been a consistent triple-double threat despite regularly being the smallest player on the court, dictating games from the point of attack with his blinding speed, deceptive strength, and innate two-way instincts for the ball. The future Cal Vulcan consistently finds his way to the front of the rim with an advanced sense for converting layups through and around traffic, and has developed into a consistently reliable threat to stretch defenses out to the arc. He’s also grown from more of an energetic change-of-pace into more of a true lead guard, learning how to pick his spots and make team-friendly decisions throughout the course of a game. Yates’ play so far this winter, coming off what was already a strong AAU season, earned him nearly a 10-spot bump in this update of the rankings.

5p 9a 6r 6s vs Carroll

-Yates was absolutely crucial in a bounce-back win for Neumann-Goretti in the DMV as a POA defender that was a menace both on and off the ball. On the ball- he did a great job of shading Brown/Bolding towards the sidelines or towards help but also got in their pockets to slap away steals on their way up to get into their shooting motion. Loved the timing of his crack-downs onto post players to force steals or force them to give up on a post move and clear the ball back out to the perimeter. Yates’ defense ignited the offense for NG in a nice statement win.

Yates has been a steady factor in the Neumann rotation for multiple years now and will be one of the leaders of a classic Saints guard-heavy attack as he hunts for an elusive PCL title. One of the more dynamic guards on the Hoop Group circuit this past spring and summer, Yates is as dangerous a downhill threat as you’ll find in the state. He easily generates paint touches with a slick handle and dynamic first step before finishing among the trees with remarkable consistency at his size using advanced touch and dexterity around the rim. He’s a pitbull on the defensive end and has become more threatening from the perimeter to turn himself into a bona-fide scholarship-level guard.

-Plays with such an effortless change of speed at both ends of the floor. Yates has great back foot acceleration and understands how to manipulate his defender by switching up his dribble cadence or the height of his dribble to lull them to sleep before exploding to the rim. He had the midrange pull-up working nicely but also showed off an expanded bag of finishing moves around the rim. His speed in the open court with the ball in his hands made him really difficult to stay in front of, and he made good decisions with the basketball in the open court. Should be a PG that D2s are circling at the top of their recruiting lists. 

Yates is a true two-way guard who pushed Neumann-Goretti to the 5A state title. His play during the June live period has been remarkable too. Yates’ incredible speed and elusive handles got him to the rack with ease. His accurate 3-point shooting kept defenders from sagging off. Yates just receive an offer from Goldey-Beacom College (D2), and we anticipate more are on the way.

Coming off a standout spring as the unquestioned straw stirring the drink for his AAU team, Yates will be asked to condense his game back into a different role as part of Neumann’s vintage perimeter-based attack that features as many as five guards on the floor at once. He should be just fine if Monday was any indication, as Yates picked his spots with precision while contributing efficiently with his effective downhill attack. Spending time both on and off ball, he was consistent in his decisionmaking while also providing a spark on the defensive end as a pest looking to speed up opposing ballhandlers. Yates continues to track as a scholarship-level guard with the potential to catch D1 eyes in the months to come.

Playing against his former club and coming out with an overtime win, Yates played with the chip on his shoulder that followers of the Philly Catholic League have become accustomed to seeing from the sparkplug guard. Despite being the smallest player on the floor, Yates lived in the paint, routinely breaking his man down on the perimeter before navigating help defenders for a series of tough, contested finishes. The attention he drew would help open things up for his teammates, as he generated a series of hockey assists with his drive-and-kick ability. Yates was also effective in helping speed up the opposing K-Low guards with his hounding ball pressure. He’ll have to continue to prove his ability to stretch defenses from deep at his size, but Yates has certainly put himself firmly on scholarship radars by this point with his productive play in high-level settings.

Yates is a multi-skilled guard who if fresh off pushing Neumann-Goretti to the 5A state title. Included in his extraordinary stretch of state tourney play was a 34-point explosion in the semifinals. Yates has used that momentum as a springboard for a fast start on the spring grassroots circuit. Across his first two events of the spring Yates is posting 14 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds per contest for Revolution’s Team Iverson squad.  Yates owns incredible speed and elusive handles. That combination gets him to rack in transition as well as in the half-court. Yates is also an accurate three-point shooter who excels at pull ups and step backs. As a distributor, Yates can execute well timed kick out passes and his live dribble passing is impressive too.

Last weekYates made headlines after he dropped 34 points (3 threes) during the Saints’ overtime win against Penncrest in the 5A quarterfinals. But even before that impressive outburst, Yates was cooking in the state tourney. He tipped off the 5A tourney by posting a state line of 12 points (3 for 3 on 3PAs), 9 assists and 4 rebounds. In the 2^nd Round Yates stuffed the stat book with 15 points (2 threes), 6 assist and 5 rebounds. Yates is a multi-skilled guard college coaches should text immediately. His next level speed, incredible instincts and filthy handles get hm to rim in transition as well as in the half-court. Yates can also get paint touches and then execute a kick out pass or drop a dime to the dunker spot. His live dribble passing skills are impressive too. Obviously, this dynamic guard can pop three all day.