The first of many outstanding guards to play at Louisiana College, Don Bates set the standard by which other guards would be measured.
Bates graduated in 1964 after a standout basketball career with the Pineville Rebels. That same year he was selected outstanding basketball player at Pineville High and was also named to the AAA All-State team. Bates was recruited by LC and joined the Wildcats in the fall of 1964.
Because of his size, Bates was red-shirted as a freshman. According to his coach, Bates worked harder than most people to develop his skills over the summer he was red-shirted, and that hard work paid off. Bates developed into the best all-around guard in the Allgood era. He had a tremendous knowledge of the game, and he was also an excellent passer. He led his team in scoring his senior year averaging 21.6 points per game, and he still holds the LC records for most free throws attempted and most free throws made in an individual season with 257 and 202 respectively.
In a game against USL in 1967, Bates worked so effectively against the one-three-one defense, the tape of the game was requested by several universities and used as a coaching aid for guards at colleges across the South.
While at Louisiana College, Bates was a health and physical education major who was also an outstanding teaching and coaching prospect. He graduated with a bachelor of science degree in 1968, and he went on to work as a graduate assistant at Northwestern State University. In 1970 he accepted a position as head basketball coach at Tioga High School. He coached at Tioga 11 years and moved to a coaching/teaching position at Pineville High School in 1981.
The Wildcat Athletic Association proudly inducted Donald A. Bates as a charter member of the Louisiana College Sports Hall of Fame on February 22, 1992.
