Playing Career:

• Millbrook High School Boys Varsity (Winchester, VA) – All-Region, All-Conference, Most 3pt attempts in school history, 2nd most winningest team in school history.
• Davis & Elkins College (NCAA DII, G-MAC Conference)
• Shenandoah University (NCAA DIII, Old Dominion Athletic Conference)

Coaching Career:

• Briar Woods High School (Ashburn, VA) – JV Head Coach
• 16U UAA EG (Erik Green) Premiere – Head Coach
• 17U UAA EG (Erik Green) Premiere – Assitant Coach

My name is Chris Oates and I am from Winchester, Virginia.

I played at Millbrook High School in Winchester, Virginia. After graduating, I received an athletic scholarship from Davis & Elkins College, an NCAA Division II program in the G-MAC conference. From there, I transferred to NCAA Division III program Shenandoah University in the ODAC conference which is widely recognized as one of the best conferences at the Division III level.

My most memorable college career moment was not necessarily a singular moment but more of a series of experiences that I feel taught me valuable life lessons that I will carry with me for years to come. During my freshman year at Davis & Elkins, I was in a near-death car accident which forced me to miss my entire season. Two years later, I fractured my Tibia and Fibula and missed out on yet another college basketball season. No matter how many times I was knocked down with injuries I kept coming back the following season with a positive attitude ready to compete. Finally my senior season at Shenandoah I was healthy enough to play in every single game. I love that could finish out my playing career on my own terms and I feel many people would have given up after so many serious setbacks.

Mentorship through the game of basketball is my why behind being an Evolution trainer. The mentors in my life growing up guided me through my journey, helping me get one percent better every day. Not only was I coached and trained to have good basketball skills but I was taught valuable life lessons that I have applied to my life after basketball. The mission of Evolution Basketball, “Creating success in the game and beyond”, lines up perfectly with my personal values and I am excited to mentor the next generation of players both on and off the court. I was always told “the ball stops bouncing eventually for everyone, but always focusing on the process of anything instead of the destination will always get you there.”