Bates Setting New Standard For Blocked Shots

The 6-foot-11 center set a school freshman record during Wednesday's win against Notre Dame

Manny Bates was about to participate in his first practice at NC State this summer after missing the past two seasons because of recurring shoulder injuries and coach Kevin Keatts didn't want him to exert himself to much too soon.

So he told the 6-foot-11 Fayetteville native to take it easy and not try to block any shots.

What Keatts didn't know at the time is that nothing come easier on the basketball court for Bates than blocking shots.

"I knew when I recruited him out of high school he was probably one of the best shot blockers I had ever seen, but with his shoulder injuries I didn’t think he would be that aggressive," Keatts said. "I thought it would take some time. 

"The first time I let him practice, I said 'now don't try to block any shots. I just want you to wall up' because I was nervous. I didn't want him to dislocate his shoulder. And the first practice he probably blocked eight shots and I'm like 'You've got to be careful.'"

Bates missed both his senior year of high school and his first season at State after undergoing a pair of surgeries on his shoulder. He continues to wear a harness under his jersey as a precaution to help prevent further injury.

But he hasn't shown any signs of either rust or physical limitation.

He currently leads the ACC and ranks sixth nationally in blocked shots. When he stuffed Notre Dame's Juwan Durham from close range midway through the second half of Wednesday's win at PNC Arena for his 48th block of the season, it surpassed the school freshman record of 47 set by J.J. Hickson in 2007-08.

At his current pace of 3.2 blocks per game, Bates would easily break State's single-season mark of 95 set all the way back in 1985-86 by Thurl Bailey.

“I have a passion for blocking shots,” Bates said earlier this season. “I have a lot of pride (in that). That’s my number one skill I have been working on is blocking shots."

But that's not the only thing he's been working on.

After coming down with only 39 rebounds in his first 11 games combined (an average of 3.5 per game), he has picked up 27 over the past four (6.8 per game). Fourteen of his 29 offensive rebounds have come during that same stretch.

While the redshirt freshman is still a work in progress when it comes to his post moves and shooting ability, he's keenly aware of his limiations while averaging a respectable six points per game and shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor.

"Just to see him come back and play the way he's played .... I never would have anticipated it," Keatts said after the Notre Dame game. "I'm excited. I love that kid. He does a tremendous for us. He does everything right.”