Matt Gatens to play pro basketball in Spain

IOWA CITY - Matt Gatens last took Spanish when he attended Iowa City High. Those lessons from long ago are going to get a workout in the coming months.

Gatens, an Iowa City native, will play professional basketball in Spain this fall and signed with Murcia. He leaves in mid-August and the season begins in October.

"It's the best opportunity," Gatens said. "I'm excited for it."

As for learning Spanish, Gatens said he hopes to pick it up quickly, but "I'm sure I'll have to brush up on it."

Gatens, 23, spoke with former Hawkeyes Luke Recker and Jared Reiner about their playing experience in Spain. Both recommended the 18-team Spanish league as one of the best in Europe. The team will provide Gatens with living arrangements and a vehicle.

"I get to see the world and get paid to play basketball. It's a pretty good deal," he said.

Gatens, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, was a second-team all-Big Ten selection last year after averaging 15.2 points, including 17 points a game in Big Ten play. He ranks sixth in scoring all-time at Iowa with 1,635 points and is the first Hawkeye to lead the team in free-throw shooting all four years.

In back-to-back February games, Gatens scored 30 points against Indiana and 33 against Wisconsin, the first time since at least 1997 that a player scored 30-plus consecutively against ranked Big Ten opponents. He hit a school-record 12 straight 3-pointers during those games.

Gatens went undrafted this summer but signed with the Phoenix Suns' to compete on their summer-league team in Las Vegas. Gatens played in three games and averaged 6.3 points. He scored 13 points in the summer-league finale against Dallas. He said he spoke with Suns' officials after the league but he was not signed to their training camp roster.

"My goal is to play in the NBA, but this is a good alternative and a good start for my career," Gatens said.