Matt Gatens perseveres, prospers as the face of Iowa basketball

IOWA CITY - Iowa senior Matt Gatens defines perseverance, and it in turn defines him.

Gatens' Hawkeyes have lost 69 times in his career, many more than he expected when he committed to Iowa nearly seven years ago. At times he's stood alone as the face of the Iowa basketball during its darkest days when turmoil gripped the program.

Yet Gatens persevered and has prospered. He never rattles on the court or in a postgame interview, whether Iowa wins or loses. But that doesn't mean he tolerates losing, either. And few people are willing go as far as Gatens to help his team win, whatever the cost.

Two years ago as a sophomore, Gatens sprained his left ankle in a shootaround before playing Ohio State. No one, from trainer John Streif to former coach Todd Lickliter to his father, thought Gatens could play. He barely could walk.

Iowa struggled with home attendance that season, and the school gave its students free admission that game. Because of the anticipated larger crowd, Gatens felt responsible to play. Several pregame treatments and heavy taping later, Gatens was on the floor for 38 minutes. Instead of sitting during timeouts and his one breather, he stood because he didn't want his ankle to swell. The Hawkeyes lost, but Gatens scored six points on two 3-pointers.

"I hadn't missed a game in my whole high school career and up to that point in college," Gatens said. "I saw myself going out and playing no matter what and I wanted to beat Ohio State. I wanted to beat them, and I wanted to beat them on our home court.

"I had my ankle in an ice bucket for five hours straight going into that game. I wanted to prove myself to my teammates that I could go out and play."

Nobody questions Gatens' durability, from his Ohio State performance to missing just two games after training camp thumb surgery last year. He has a toughness and maturity that's easily noticeable, and he's had to rely on his character to help pull through one of the most disruptive times in Iowa basketball history.

Gatens, 22, committed to then Iowa Coach Steve Alford as an Iowa City High freshman. After the 2007 season, Alford left for New Mexico. With little reservation Gatens, then a high school junior, extended his commitment to Lickliter. But Gatens' first two seasons at Iowa were tumultuous.

After Gatens' freshman year, four scholarship players left the program - all of which had started games for Iowa. During and after his sophomore year, two of his closest teammates - Aaron Fuller and Anthony Tucker - also bolted. Lickliter was fired after the season and Iowa had suffered through an all-time worst 10-22 record.

The program's vibe was toxic at times, but Gatens wanted to dig the program out of its hole.

"I was committed more to a university and a program than to a coach," he said. "It's the people around here that mean the most to me and stuck around me, that have helped me out. A guy like (trainer) John Streif, I appreciate people like that."

"Matt had a lot of opportunities to leave, people thought, but it never entered his mind," said his father, Mike Gatens, a former Hawkeye basketball player under Lute Olson. "He never wanted to leave. He wanted to help get it done. I think he's taken a lot of pride in this season and all the seasons. He's going to be remembered as a kid that stuck with it through one of the toughest times, played as hard as he could for every second and what else can you ask of a kid?"

Gatens, a marketing major, has started 114 games and averages 12 points a game for his career. He ranks 13th in scoring with 1,381 points and should he hit his season average of 13.3 for the 11 remaining games - counting the Big Ten Tournament - he'll pass his boyhood hero Andre Woolridge for ninth on the all-time scoring list.

But Gatens' game is more than scoring. He has become the Hawkeyes' lockdown defender and usually draws the opponent's top scorer. Among his best efforts was forcing prolific Michigan scorer Tim Hardaway Jr. to miss 11 of 13 shots in a 16-point Iowa win two weeks ago.

"That's an NBA player in Tim Hardaway Jr., and Matt stuck with him," said Iowa radio analyst Bobby Hansen, a nine-year NBA player. "The knock had been on Matt that he wasn't quite quick enough, wasn't quite whatever enough. Right there showed me that if you put your mind to it, it can overcome a lot of things.

"At some point last year, the light went on - and that's not to say he wasn't a good defensive player before that - but it was the way I wanted him to play."

To become a top defender, the 6-foot-5 guard shed bulk for quickness. Gatens hit the gym for 6 a.m. conditioning sessions before his junior season and lost about 15 pounds. As Iowa's leading scorer, Gatens also has to keep up offensively.

"You've got to be in incredible physical condition, but, more importantly, you've got to be incredibly mentally tough," Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. "And he just keeps coming."

Gatens is equally as tenacious in charitable work as he is on the court. He goes to University of Iowa Children's Hospital multiple times each month to meet with children. Both parties are left with an impression.

"It's always an incredible experience over there," Gatens said. "I was with a kid last week who is probably going to have to be there for a year. It's incredible stuff.

"You don't really know if (the visits help) or not, but if they say it does, that's great. It does make you want to try to do it as much as you can. It's a short time here at Iowa and to have that kind of impact on kids, I try to get the most out of it. It's real world stuff. We're playing a game on the court, and he's fighting for his life."

"I had this uncle come up to me one time and he told me Matt went over there and went back four or five times and the family was totally convinced the kid got better, his treatments got better, his attitude got better because Matt showed interest and spent time with the child," Mike Gatens said. "I just started crying. This is what it's all about. I told Matt, ‘Of everything you do in your life, that is the most important thing that you do.'"

As his career winds down at Iowa, Gatens keeps a straight-ahead approach. He focuses on the next challenge, not the big picture. Now's not the time from him to reflect and certainly not in a postgame interview.

Yet he answers each question with poise, a trait his father admires, saying "he's a real patient kid. He's made me more patient."

Patience was required Thursday after a six-point loss to Nebraska. Gatens finishes his interviews composed but upset. He smacks a curtain as he walks back into the arena to greet his family. After all these years, it still hurts to lose.

But he vows to persevere.

"We have so many games between now and postseason play," he said. "We could win them all. The thing you've got to take is every game matters. Every game matters so much when it comes to that. You've got to come with the right approach every day in practice, and this team needs to do that. Hopefully this will be an awakening moment, and we'll get the next one."