The legacy of the UC national basketball champions continues through the golf center

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – A retired University of Cincinnati basketball player and coach continues to give back in death.

Tony Yates was a national basketball player and later a coach.

On Thursday, the Tony Yates Junior Golf Learning Center was unveiled with an inauguration ceremony at Reeves Golf Course.

In his post-basketball era, Yates founded the Tony Yates Junior Golf Academy to provide a free space for kids to teach golf and more.

“It was always about more than just golf,” said Steve Pacella, associate director of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission. “Golf is just a vehicle to bring them here and try to be fun.”

Yates died last year, but his wife, family, and many friends carry on his legacy.

“Tony was really humble about the things he did,” recalls Tony’s wife, Maxine Hoyles-Yates [golf academy] brought him more joy. “

The academy began with several dozen children and now looks after 1,400 children every year.

Many of Yates’s former teammates, players, and friends came Thursday to share memories of the national championship player.

But they said the only thing was to pass those skills on to the youth here in Cincinnati.

“I just want to thank everyone and realize that they are simply a mentor to these young people,” says George Wilson, “because they want to do good.”

“Tony was a coach, he was a mentor, but he was really an inspiration to kids when they realized what he was trying to do and teach,” says Pacella. I’ve heard the success of previous students, that’s what this is really about. “

If you would like to get involved in the golf academy, you can find more information here.

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