Former Cecil College basketball standout taking his talents overseas

During his time at Cecil College, Khalid Gates played an integral part of the Seahawks’ success on the court. In both his seasons at Cecil, the Seahawks won Region 20 titles and reached the NJCAA Division II Championships.

Gates, who is now two years removed from his second winter at Cecil College, is preparing to cross the Atlantic at the end of the summer to pursue a longtime dream of his. To play professional basketball.

Gates signed a contract to play with KK Marsonia of Croatia earlier this month. Located in Slavonski Brod, a city in the eastern part of the country, KK Marsonia is a part of Croatia’s tiered basketball leagues. Gates said he initially received an offer from a club in Bolivia, before jumping on the chance to play in Croatia.

“Even though I didn’t have a senior year of college, I didn’t let that stop me from trying to chase my goals of going overseas,” Gates said. “I just kept working and praying and I got the opportunity.”

Gates joined the Seahawks’ basketball program in 2018. The once football player said he had few basketball options post-high school, largely due to his late start with the sport. Gates began playing organized basketball later on in high school after he was encouraged to give the sport a try. Gates played for a pair of AAU travel teams in the summer leading up to his senior year of high school.

“I didn’t even know if I was going to keep playing basketball to be honest,” Gates said of his initial post-high school outlook. “[Cecil] was my only opportunity, so I took it and stuck with it.”

As a freshman at Cecil College, Gates played in 36 games, made six starts for the Seahawks and averaged just over six points per game. After redshirting the 2019-2020 season, followed by a canceled 2020-2021 season due to the pandemic, Gates returned to Cecil College looking to pick up where the team left off his first year. During his freshman season, the Seahawks won a Region 20 title and placed third overall at the NJCAA Championships.

Gates finished his second season at Cecil as one of the top junior college players in Maryland. He started in 28 games and averaged just over 24 minutes per contest. Gates led the Seahawks in multiple statistical categories with a team-best 15.6 points per game, 7.8 rebounds and one block per contest.

The Seahawks once again captured a Region 20 crown and reached the national tournament in his second year on the team. Gates capped off his final season at Cecil College with First Team NJCAA Division II All-American, Maryland Junior College Player of the Year and Region 20 Division II Player of the Year selections.

“They trusted me with the ball and then they trusted me to make plays and play off of me,” Gates said of his teammates throughout his sophomore season. “We still played as a team and got the job done.”

Gates continued his collegiate career in 2022 by traveling to western Pennsylvania to play for Division II Slippery Rock University. Gates finished his junior season with 27 starts and second team all-conference honors. Following his junior campaign at Slippery Rock, Gates transferred to Division II Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, where he played in just a handful of games for the Railsplitters.

“They made me feel comfortable,” Gates said of his decision to attend Slippery Rock. “They made me feel like I was going to Cecil again.”

Earlier this summer, Gates joined a group of American players touring China that played against Chinese basketball teams. The experience offered him the ability to experience a new culture, while more importantly getting updated game film. Gates felt the showcase allowed him to put his most recent play out to any interested international squads.

“Everybody was going based off my Slippery Rock film,” Gates said. “So that helped me a lot with getting updated film to show what I can do now.”

Gates said he departs for his new home at the end of August.

“It’s been a crazy process, especially not knowing if I was ever going to play basketball again and not having offers and not giving up and trying to fulfill my dreams,” Gates said. “And now that it happened, I’m just happy.”