Meet Tony Bates, Athletic Director and Men's Head Basketball Coach

Tony-Bates"I am thrilled to join Governors State as its first Athletic Director. Competitive athletics are essential to the transformation of GSU. Over the next two years, we plan to recruit student athletes from all over the Chicagoland area and Northwest Indiana. I encourage you to consider GSU for your student athletes. With many degree programs for both freshman and transfer students, a convenient location 40 miles south of Chicago, new housing and much more, GSU is the right place for your students."

About Tony Bates:


Tony has more than 20 years of experience in coaching and athletic recruitment at the collegiate level. Most recently he was the associate men's basketball coach at Saint Xavier University for 14 seasons. Prior to SXU, Bates spent 15 years as the athletic director and coach at Tabernacle Christian Academy where the boy's basketball teams posted a 385-93 record and captured five straight championships, as well as regional and sectional titles. Bates attended Trinity Christian College (Ill.) and was recognized as the nation's leading scorer his sophomore year.

He believes firmly in the importance of degree completion for student athletes. Bates says, "My goal is to continue GSU's strong track record of undergraduate degree completion. I have coached more than 600 students at the high school and college level, my greatest accomplishment is that 90 percent of them have graduated."