Tag: DInk Pate

Dink Pate to play for Mexico City Capitanes after Ignite shutdown

Former five-star prospect Dink Pate, who played with the Ignite this year, will join Mexico City Capitanes for next season.

Former five-star prospect Dink Pate, who last played with the G League Ignite, will join Mexico City Capitanes for the 2024-25 season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Pate signed with the Ignite in April 2023, becoming the youngest American-born professional basketball player in history. He signed a two-year contract with the team because, at 17 years old, he wouldn’t be draft-eligible until 2025.

The 6-foot-8 guard was forced to find a new team for next season after the NBA opted to shut down the Ignite amid the “changing basketball landscape.” He will now play with Capitanes, who joined the G League in the 2021-22 season.

Pate missed the start of last season due to a foot injury. He was eventually cleared and debuted on Dec. 28, logging four minutes in a loss to Rio Grande Valley. He averaged eight points, 3.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 31 appearances.

Prior to joining the Ignite, Pate reclassified to the class of 2023 and graduated early from L.G. Pinkston High School in Dallas, Texas. He was named the 2022-23 District 13-4A Most Valuable Player after averaging 20.3 points per game. He was also on the all-state team.

He was heavily recruited at the collegiate level, receiving over 30 offers from Division I programs. He ultimately chose to sign with the Ignite over  Alabama, Arkansas, Memphis and UCF, among others.

Pate is considered a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

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Babacar Sane leads G League Ignite to win to wrap up FIBA Intercontinental Cup

Sane led the G League Ignite to a win on Sunday to wrap up the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore.

Potential second-round pick Babacar Sane led the G League Ignite to a win on Sunday to wrap up the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Kallang, Singapore.

Sane produced a game-high 22 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in the 80-60 win over Al Manama of the Bahraini Premier League. He went 6-of-10 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line as the Ignite finished 1-2 in the tournament.

Ron Holland, the potential No. 1 pick next year, also registered a double-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block. London Johnson added nine points and five assists, and Izan Almansa had four points and six assists.

Matas Buzelis, Thierry Darlan and Dink Pate did not play.

The Ignite were one of six teams that competed in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup this year representing different countries around the world, including Brazil, China, Egypt and Germany. The group finished fifth with its win on Sunday.

After facing the Perth Wildcats twice earlier this month, and finishing their three-game run in Singapore, the Ignite will now look ahead to the start of the regular season in the G League. They will host the Ontario Clippers in their season opener on Nov. 10.

With several draft-eligible prospects, the Ignite will take the court with perhaps their most talented roster yet. The team figures to attract plenty of attention and should be one of the most exciting groups to watch in the G League.

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London Johnson paces G League Ignite in second FIBA Intercontinental Cup contest

London Johnson and John Jenkins combined to lead the Ignite on Saturday in a loss in the FIBA Continental Cup.

Potential second-round pick London Johnson and veteran John Jenkins combined to lead the G League Ignite on Saturday in a loss in the FIBA Continental Cup in Kallang, Singapore.

Johnson and Jenkins each scored 15 points apiece in the 98-89 loss to Sesi Franca of the Basketball Champions League in Brazil. Johnson added three assists and two rebounds, while Jenkins also had six assists and two rebounds.

Ron Holland, the potential No. 1 pick next year, chipped in 10 points and five rebounds, and Izan Almansa had 11 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Babacar Sane finished with 11 points and five rebounds while Tyler Smith recorded eight points and eight rebounds.

Matas Buzelis, Thierry Darlan and Dink Pate did not play.

The Ignite dropped to 0-2 during their stay in the tournament after falling to Al Ahly of the Egypt Basketball Super League on Thursday. Smith led all scorers with 18 points and six rebounds, while Holland had 15 points and Johnson added 10 points.

The team will wrap up its stay on Sunday against Al Manama of the Bahraini Premier League. The Ignite are one of six teams competing in the tournament representing different countries around the world, including China and Germany.

They open the regular season on Nov. 10 against the Ontario Clippers.

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Tyler Smith leads G League Ignite with 18 points in FIBA Intercontinental Cup

Smith on Thursday led the Ignite in a loss to open the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore.

Potential second-round pick Tyler Smith on Thursday led the G League Ignite in a loss to open the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Kallang, Singapore.

Smith produced a game-high 18 points, six rebounds and one assist in an 82-76 loss to Al Ahly of the Egypt Basketball Super League. He went 6-of-13 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, in 23 minutes off the bench.

They received other contributions from their draft-eligible prospects.

Ron Holland, the potential No. 1 pick next year, added 15 points and five rebounds, and London Johnson chipped in 10 points, six assists, four rebounds and two blocks. Babacar Sane finished with seven points and seven rebounds, and Izan Almansa had four points and eight rebounds.

Matas Buzelis, Thierry Darlan and Dink Pate did not play in the contest.

The contest continued a busy preseason for the Ignite.

They recently completed a two-game series against the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League. Holland emerged as one of the standouts, averaging 28 points, 5.5 rebounds, four steals and 1.5 assists in those two exhibition contests.

The Ignite return to action in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup with their second of three games on Saturday. They are one of six teams competing in the tournament representing different countries around the world, including Bahrain, Brazil, China and Germany.

They open the regular season on Nov. 10 against the Ontario Clippers.

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Alabama hosts highly-coveted 2024 SG from Texas

Alabama hosted 2024 small forward Dink Pate for an unofficial visit this past weekend.

Alabama hosted 2024 small forward Dink Pate for an unofficial visit this past weekend. It was the Texas native’s first trip to Tuscaloosa since receiving an offer in July. Pate took to his Twitter to post several photos from his unofficial visit.

The product of Pinkston High School already has over 20 offers heading into his junior season. As of right now, he is trending towards Houston at 30.8% likelihood, according to On3’s RPM. Nonetheless, the Alabama coaching staff could have gained some momentum in his recruitment after his unofficial visit this past weekend.

Alabama has offered two other shooting guards in the 2024 recruiting cycle. Altogether, they have extended offers to 19 prospects thus far. The coaching staff has emphasized beginning the recruiting process earlier than normal for highly-coveted prospects. It will be interesting to see if Pate takes another visit to Alabama and when he could announce a commitment.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to track Pate’s recruitment as well as other Alabama basketball recruiting targets.

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Alabama offers highly-coveted small forward out of Texas

2024 small forward Dink Pate received an offer from the Tide on Saturday. He is listed at 6-foot-7, 180 pounds.

The Alabama men’s basketball coaching staff recently extended an offer to Dink Pate, one of the more impressive players from the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Pate is rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports and is listed at 6-foot-7 and 180 pounds. His frame is very similar to former Alabama forward Herb Jones, who came out of high school listed at 6-foot-7 and 183 pounds. Alabama fans would probably be ecstatic to welcome a player similar to Jones to the future roster.

Pate has already landed 24 offers heading into his junior season of high school. Several of the programs that have extended offers are Auburn, Houston, LSU, Texas and Texas A&M among others.

Alabama may have a difficult time competing with the aforementioned programs in recruiting Pate, but there doesn’t appear to be a clear-cut leader at the present time.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover Alabama basketball and the recruitment process of Dink Pate.