CU announces signing of Shane Gatling
BOULDER – Junior College All-American Shane Gatling has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball and continue his education at the University of Colorado in 2018-19, head coach Tad Boyle announced Monday.
Gatling, a 6-2 guard from Baldwin, N.Y., is the fourth member of Colorado’s signing class for 2018-19, joining Jakub Dombek (Ostrava, Czech Repulic, Get Better Academy), who signed this last weekend and Daylen Kountz (Denver East HS) and Elijah Parquet (Beaumont, Texas, West Brook HS), who signed in November.
Gatling earned NJCAA Division I All-America honors this past season at Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College, averaging 16.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. He helped lead the Warriors to a 33-1 record, with their only loss coming in the second round of the NJCAA Tournament.
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The addition of Gatling will help to fill a need on the perimeter. Colorado graduated its top two 3-point shooters from this season – seniors George King and Dominique Collier. Gatling matched the Indian Hills school record for 3-pointers made in one season at 102 en route to Region XI Player of the Year honors. He shot 39 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the free throw line.
“As I look at next year’s team, what we lost and what we need to add, Shane is a perfect fit,” Boyle said. “He is the true combo guard we were looking for.”
Gatling will also give the Buffaloes depth at the point. While there is no doubt he and Pac-12 All-Freshman team member McKinley Wright IV will be on the floor together at times, Gatling can step in and play the point as well.
“He’s got the ability to play the point,” Boyle said. “He’s got a very good assist-to-turnover ratio, he has great ball skills. He’s a guy that can shoot it and stretch the defense. Side-by-side they (Gatling and Wright) can be really good together, but as we saw when McKinley went down with an ankle sprain in the Pac-12 Tournament, we fell off pretty dramatically at that point guard position.”
Gatling spent his freshman season at Niagara University, averaging 4.7 points in 33 games in 2016-17. He will have two years of eligibility remaining, starting with the 2018-19 season.
Gatling was a three-year starter for Baldwin High School, helping the Bruins to a 49-7 record, including a perfect 33-0 mark in league play. He averaged 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists as a senior, leading Baldwin to the Long Island AA Championship.
“He fits the bill on a lot of different levels,” Boyle said. “Junior college kids are looking for the right situations and we’re looking for the right fit for our team. We feel very good about him as a person, character wise, work ethic wise, all the things we look for. He’s ready made, he’s not a guy coming in as a freshman, he’s a seasoned player and a great addition for us.”