By John Beisser, Feature Writer
Time is flying for Rutgers women's basketball guard/forward Antonia Bates as the senior looks to make up for lost time since her junior season comprised of just five games due to a persistent knee injury that eventually required surgery.
Following an arduous six-month physical rehab assignment, the 6-foot-3 Easton, Pennsylvania native is raring to get back onto the floor for the Scarlet Knights.
"I am so excited," Bates said. "I would say that this is definitely the most excited I've ever been for a season to get started. Obviously I'm a little nervous playing again in front of everybody. But I would say that the excitement outshines the nervousness. My teammates are so great and have helped me so much during this process."
"All of the newcomers, I know we have a lot, they have been nothing but supportive, and they make it so much more exciting to go out there and play with them," she added. "As well as my fellow returnees of course. I would say, yeah, I'm pretty excited."
In her first two seasons, Bates played a key role on the floor for RU. As a sophomore in 2024-25, She registered the third-most blocks in the Big Ten with 46 (1.5 per game). In addition, she also emerged as one of the team's top playmakers on offense, ranking 14th in the Big Ten in assists (95), averaging 3.2 per game.
Bates's physical issue was that she would continually dislocate her right kneecap, a malady that actually began in high school, but she was always able to play through it-until the day she couldn't.
"I wasn't sure if there was going to be a fix for it for me or what that was going to look like," Bates said. "I would dislocate say in practice multiple times or even in just daily life it would come out of place. And it would just cause me so much pain. I'd be playing in pain. Every time I stepped on the court it was painful.
"I used to receive treatment and therapy to help diminish the pain but that it would always come back," she added. "But the worst was when I was starting my junior year (the 2024-25 season). It got to the point where I was doing more harm than good. So, I met with 'Coach Co,' and the trainers, and we came up with a plan."
Following an impressive career at Notre Dame High School in her hometown of Easton, Pennsylvania, Bates made the pivotal decision to transfer to Rutgers Preparatory School for her senior year where she had the privilege of playing under the guidance of Rutgers Hall of Fame coach Mary Coyle-Klinger, whom Bates describes as a "truly brilliant" mentor.
Bates' journey to collegiate basketball began with another significant decision during her junior year of high school when she made a verbal commitment to Rutgers, then led by legendary Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer. Despite a transition that saw Coquese Washington take over as head coach, Bates remained steadfast in her commitment to the Scarlet Knights. She was drawn to the vision and direction of the new coaching staff, choosing to stay loyal to Rutgers and embrace the opportunity to contribute to the program's evolution.
Reflecting on her time "On The Banks,"Bates noted, "I arrived as a freshman in the 2022-23 season, the same year Coach Washington began her tenure. I've had the unique opportunity to be part of her program from its inception. I knew rebuilding a program would come with challenges, but I was ready to grow with the team."
Now, as a senior, Bates finds herself marveling at how quickly time has passed.
"It's surreal to think I'm already a senior," she said. "It feels like just yesterday I was stepping onto campus as a freshman. The journey has been so fast, and it's strange to realize how much has changed since those early days."
A Journalism and Media Studies major, with a minor in Sports Management, Bates will graduate ahead of schedule this fall and will start a master's program in the spring.
"We have to take classes in the summer in order to work out in our summer sessions so that kind of put me ahead in credits," she says modestly.
Bates underwent surgery in January, and the recovery process was quite a journey. The rehab process was mentally challenging, especially since it was during the basketball season.
"All I wanted was to be out on the court with my teammates, so being sidelined was incredibly difficult, said Bates. "However, I stayed positive and approached recovery methodically. I started with crutches, then switched to just a brace, and eventually progressed to walking without any support. Later, I wore a sleeve for added protection. Throughout the process, I focused on strengthening my knee, ensuring it stayed mobile and didn't stiffen up.
About three months after surgery, she began her running progression, which was a huge motivator. Being able to step back onto the court, even just running, felt like a major milestone. From there, Bates moved on to individual workouts and was eventually cleared for contact training. Each step in the process fueled her drive because it brought her closer to playing basketball again.
"By June 17, when we returned to campus for summer workouts, I was officially cleared for full workouts," Bates said. "I was able to participate in everything my teammates were doing—contact drills, team exercises, all of it."
Bates gives major credit to the Rutgers training and strength and condition staff for the vital role they
played in her rehabilitation and recovery process.
"Our trainer, Deja Craig, was amazing and I feel like she pushed me and the days when I was a little less confident or kind of worried, she cleared that out of the way 100 percent," Bates said. "She put a plan together from day one and we've followed it until now. And without her I don't think I would have been able to have done that. I feel like she implanted in me a confidence that I would return to the court as good as ever.
"She was with me literally every single day that I was on campus, along with Glenn Cain, our strength and conditioning coach," Bates added. "They got me back in shape which obviously wasn't easy but, again, they pushed me. They made sure that I put in the work that enabled me to be back on the court when the season started. And I was able to put in the work to reach that goal. I would say we probably have the best strength and conditioning coach and the best trainer in the entire country. I would give them all the props in the world."
"Now, I'm nearly 100 percent and playing pain-free, which feels incredible," Bates said.
A recipient of seven NJ Press Association Awards for writing excellence, John Beisser ('86) served as Assistant Director in the Rutgers University Athletic Communications Office from 1991-2006, where he primarily handled sports information/media relations duties for the Scarlet Knight football and men's basketball programs. In this role, he served as managing editor for nine publications that received either National or Regional citations from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). While an undergraduate at RU, Beisser was sports director of WRSU-FM and a sportswriter/columnist for The Daily Targum. From 2007-2019, Beisser served as Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Media Relations at Wagner College, where he was the recipient of the 2019 Met Basketball Writers Association "Good Guy" Award [insert link: https://wagnerathletics.com/news/2019/4/12/general-john-beisser-named-the-2019-mike-cohen-good-guy-award-recipient.aspx ]. Beisser resides in Piscataway with his wife Aileen (RC '95,) a four-year Scarlet Knight women's lacrosse letterwinner, and their 16-year old daughter Riley.
