By: Kevin Moses
Kaelin TateÂ
Twitter: @kaelintate
Height: 5’11, 165
Class of 2027
School: PawPaw High School, MI
Tate is an intense pass-first point guard with strong leadership qualities, high IQ, and awesome court vision. He is a natural at breaking down the defense off the bounce and creating shots for others off the drive or finishing at the rim himself, keeping the defense honest. He fuels his team on the offensive end knowing that they depend on him to distribute the ball, control the tempo, and be the perfect facilitator. Kaelin can score when needed but his calling card even more than passing is that defense. Kaelin loves the challenge of taking on the other team’s best player no matter what position they play. Kaelin is the team leader in steals, charges taken, and deflections as well as assists. That’s playing varsity, not JV as a freshman.
In 2023, Kaelin played up in AAU with the United Pursuit 2026 team. As the starting point guard, he led that team to a 24-4 record last summer winning multiple tournaments along the way. His favorite memory was the Best of the Best top division last summer. That team got after it defensively and Kaelin anchored their full-court pressure. Enjoyed playing with teammate Eli Sommmerberg. Being able to play up helped Kaelin develop and transition into a varsity player as a freshman. Fully prepared for the speed and physicality of the varsity level. Getting acclimated to the competition level in last summer’s run was a huge preparation for varsity. Kaelin excelled halling ball pressure with ease as well as being able to defend at a high level. Adjusting to the speed from MS to HS had to be his biggest improvement. Kaelin’s goal for this AAU session as he is playing with his 17 age group playing for the North Coast Premier playing on the NY2LA Circuit is to be a positive impact and help them succeed. Being a part of a loaded athletic team with a defensive swagger has Kaelin excited for it all. . .
For his freshman season, Kaelin averaged 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1 drawn charge per game, his favorite stat, while winning the District Championship. This season is to win their league with a team-first focus. They were young last year and battled through a ton of injuries. With almost the entire team returning, it’s a realistic goal to repeat as District champions and make an even deeper run. Making history by winning their District championship for the first time in 20 years only makes this team more hungry than ever to build on that new winning tradition they set. Kaelin is more than ready to do his part to help this team do just that while being the perfect floor general barking teamwork and inspiring fierce defensive tenacity by example.. The team is already very unselfish playing as a unit not focused on who scores, but getting W.Â
Kaelin’s goals through the offseason and AAU is to develop his pull-up floater game and improve his shooting. Waiting to become a more reliable 3-point shooter is also huge for Kaelin this offseason. Getting to the basket comes easy, everything else takes work which Kaelin is ready to do. Kaelin’s mentality for the game sets him apart playing beyond his size with the will to dominate the floor against anyone, especially on defense. He wants to challenge everyone who has the slightest idea because he is a freshman he is an easy mark.. Kaelin sends the message quickly that he is coming at them and their best player with fire in his eyes. Crediting his three older brothers for roughing him up and waking up that DOG in him. He developed the toughness and confidence to battle anybody of any size. Not focused on playing any certain division level but was determined to keep improving to help his school team keep winning championships and just see where that might take him. This will be quite a fun journey to watch. Kaelin’s final gesture is he is just going to keep lifting weights, working on getting stronger and faster, and see where basketball takes him while adding his 3.9 GPA while he is hooping. Stay tuned!