Millbrook boys basketball
Millbrook senior Tyrrel Tate (left) and Wildcat assistant basketball coach Chris Davis share a laugh during Tate's signing ceremony Thursday afternoon in the Millbrook cafeteria. Tate, who was cut from the Millbrook jayvee team as a freshman, committed to play basketball at Fayetteville State University next season.
Tate to continue basketball career at Fayetteville State
In ninth grade, Millbrook's Tyrrel Tate wasn't college basketball material.
In fact, he wasn't even junior varsity material.
And it wasn't hard to see, recalled Wildcat assistant basketball coach Chris Davis Thursday afternoon.
"Cutting him was easy. It wasn't even a question," the coach explained. "It was an easy cut that year."
But three seasons later, Davis joined Tate's family, friends and teammates of the Millbrook boys basketball team to celebrate the senior's signing to play basketball at Fayetteville State University.
In a 15-minute ceremony in the high school's cafeteria Nov. 19, coaches and friends honored Tate, applauding the forward's career and bright future, but more often than not, recalling his tumultuous start in high school basketball.
"If you weren't tough and you couldn't handle adversity, you might not have come out as a sophomore and we wouldn't be having all this," said head coach Scott McInnis, standing with Tate's Letter of Intent before him, and cake and balloons off to his side.
Teammate and good friend Errick Davis stood up later, and explained he still has a tough time believing how much Tate's improved since eighth grade.
But Davis might have said it best, explaining Tate "just persevered" and added others should "follow his model."
Following congratulatory hugs and well-wishes, Tate explained he wasn't always sure basketball was in his plans.
"When I got cut my freshman year, I told my mom I didn't know if I wanted to play anymore," he shrugged. "But she told me to keep playing and not to stop. So I continued to play AAU, but I wasn't getting a lot of playing time there either.
"But I always got better in practice, and I learned from that."
The senior smiled and recalled a growth spurt didn't hurt either.
A year after getting cut, Tate played so well on junior varsity as a sophomore, he was elevated to varsity by the end of the season. And he's become a fixture on the Wildcats' team since.
As for his decision to attend Fayetteville State, Tate said he looked elsewhere, but felt most comfortable with the Broncos.
"I liked the atmosphere and the coaches a lot," he said. "They just seemed very dedicated to what they do. The players were nice and they seemed to really like it there."
Prior to Tate's signing, McInnis read off a list of quotes from Tony Dungy, a former NFL coach.
After going through a handful of inspirational thoughts, the last quote read — which McInnis purposely saved for last — "True toughness is how you respond to adversity."
But Tate has shown already he won't quit in the face of a challenge.
