The younger Gates was born five months after Hoop Dreams premiered, began watching the documentary in second grade and attended his first camp at St. Joseph soon afterward. The elder Gates had fond memories of his time at St. Joseph, especially the academic aid he received and the unconditional support longtime coach Gene Pingatore provided.
It wasn’t until Gates’ dad saw how much the constant comparisons between father and son were dragging down his boy that he realized the family had made a mistake. After the younger Gates opened up to his father about how unhappy he was in a series of conversations during his sophomore year at St. Joseph, his father realized the only way his son could rekindle his love of basketball would be to start fresh at a new school.
The evolution of Gates’ game and his mindset began when he transferred to a Chicago public school after his sophomore year.
Other players still knew him as the son of one of the Hoop Dreams stars, but the external pressure eased because Gates was no longer wearing the same St. Joseph jersey his father once did. It also helped that his father consistently reassured him that just giving 100 percent in school and on the court would be more than enough to satisfy his family.
“He helped me begin to adopt that mindset,” Gates said. “One day he came over and told me, ‘Son, I can’t hide you from me and from what I’ve done. You have to accept that’s how it’s going to be the rest of your basketball career, but at the same time you don’t have to be me. You can be yourself.'”