Jacob Bates returns for his second season on the Hanover men’s basketball coaching staff in 2025-2026.
In his initial collegiate coaching campaign at Hanover, Bates assisted in helping the team to a 16-11 record and an 11-7 HCAC record. The Panthers had two players earn all-conference honors, including Coleman Sater, who earned second team all-conference honors and Luke Miller who was honorable mention.
Bates, a four-year varsity player and three-time all-conference player at Centre College, helped guide the Colonels to 3 regular season conference championships and one tournament championship during his career. The team recorded an overall record of 78-29 and he scored 1400 points during his playing days. As a senior in 2019-20, Bates led his team to the NCAA tournament and was named both the 2020 Southern Athletic Association Player of the Year and an NABC Third Team All American. Following his collegiate career, Bates went on to play professionally overseas including helping to lead his team to two league championships in the top division in the country of Malta. In addition, he also played in the TBT (The Basketball Tournament) with “We are D3”, a collection of former Division 3 basketball pro players who competed on ESPN in a winner takes all million-dollar tournament.
Bates’s previous coaching experience includes spending parts of 4 seasons, around his professional playing career, on the coaching staff of his alma mater Oldham County High School.
Bates graduated from Centre College in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in Environmental Studies. He went on to complete his master’s degree in Sport Management from Campbellsville University.
