Health a big concern for Penn recruit

Incoming freshman basketball player Andrew Coates was plagued with injuries and a case of pneumonia last season. When the NCAA Selection Committee decided to send the Penn men's basketball team to Seattle for the first round of the Tournament, it looked like the perfect opportunity for Andrew Coates. The Seattle native and incoming basketball recruit would be able to check out the Quakers in person for the first time without even leaving his hometown. It didn't quite work out that way. Coates had more important things to do that day. For only the second time in its history, Eastside Catholic High School had qualified for the state playoffs, and Coates -- a 6'8" power forward -- was a major reason for its presence in the highest level of playoffs in the state of Washington. "He led us into and through the state playoffs," Eastside Catholic coach Pat McCarthy said. Eastside Catholic lost in the first round, but won a game in the consolation round before being eliminated. The most impressive aspect of the Crusaders' success, though, is that this past season was filled with more than one pitfall for their best player. After a superb junior season in which he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game and was named first team All-Seattle Metro League, Coates was forced to endure a difficult campaign in 1998-99. He missed the start of the season with an ankle injury, but that misfortune was only the beginning. Coates came down with a case of pneumonia halfway through the season that prevented him from repeating his 1997-98 performance. "I was out for about two weeks, but I never really recovered," Coates said. "I had a lot of trouble breathing and was coughing up blood." Although Coates' senior year was not the spectacular finale to his high school career that many expected, the four-year starter at Eastside Catholic has proven that he has the skills to play Division I basketball. McCarthy says that Coates has solid post-up moves and great footwork under the basket, but needs to gain strength and quickness. "I saw him healthy last summer and he played very well," Penn assistant coach Steve Donahue said. "This year he's been through every injury you could imagine so he hasn't had a chance to show what he can do. "He's 6'8", shoots the ball very well, runs the floor. He's athletic. He'll have to show us what he can do if he's healthy." Coates is currently working to show the Penn coaching staff exactly what he can do when healthy. He works on his game for at least two hours each day and performs exercises at the Washington Sports Institute to improve his quickness and leg strength. He also lifts weights four times a week to add bulk to his 210-pound frame. Coates will probably need these summer workouts to yield great results if he hopes to make an impact at Penn this year, however. Although the graduation of Paul Romanczuk leaves a huge hole at power forward, the competition should be fierce to fill the spot of the first team All-Ivy honoree. In addition to Coates, the Quakers will gain the services of 6'10" forward/center Oggie Kapetanovic and 6'8" forward Ugonna Onyekwe next season. Kapetanovic, a transfer from Brown, practiced with Penn all of last season, and Onyekwe is considered the top prospect in Penn's highly-regarded recruiting class. With forward Josh Sanger entering his junior year as well, Coates may spend a considerable amount of time on the bench next year. But after a season of learning the ins and outs of the Quakers' system, he could be an important contributor for the Red and Blue in the future. "I know he's a pretty talented kid when he's healthy," Donahue said. "How good I don't know exactly yet, but he'll be given the opportunity." And he'll travel all the way across the country to seize that opportunity. But that does not mean he will be alone on the East Coast. Coates' sister will enter her junior year at Princeton in the fall, but she will probably not be wearing orange and black when the Tigers take on the defending Ivy champs next season. "She's a basketball fan," Coates acknowledged. "But she's more of an Andrew Coates basketball fan than anything else."