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Jermaine Tate's scoring average last year was a full 10 points lower than two seasons earlier. He played 11 less minutes a game, grabbed two less rebounds.
Yet Tate has never been happier as a basketball player.
That's because the fifth-year senior spent his first two college seasons excelling in obscurity for Ohio State teams that each won less than 10 games. Then a mysterious heart ailment threatened to end his career altogether.
After transferring to UC and becoming eligible last December, Tate started 17 of 27 games for a 27-6 club. His job is not to score - UC is more than adequate in that area. Playing alongside shot swatter Kenyon Martin, Tate cleans the glass, wreaks havoc on defense and can be counted on when needed. In his second game back against Minnesota, Tate collected 14 rebounds and hit two clutch free throws late in regulation.
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Tate began his career in 1995 under Randy Ayers at Ohio State.
