DES MOINES — Matt Gatens, a former University of Iowa standout who was most recently at Auburn, has been named the Drake men’s basketball program’s director of operations, head coach Darian DeVries announced recently.
Gatens spent last season on staff at Auburn, the Southeastern Conference champions, where he assisted in travel, development, scouting, video and camps. Gatens also aided in the development of the team’s guards, including all-SEC selections Bryce Brown and Jared Harper.
Gatens was a four-year starter at guard for Iowa where he scored 1,635 career points, the sixth most in Iowa history, and averaged 12.8 points per game while averaging 2.3 rebounds per game.
An Iowa City native, Gatens was named Iowa’s Mr. Basketball and the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Iowa City High School. He led the team to a Class 4A state title as a senior in 2008 and holds the City High record for career scoring.