23 hours ago
7
Jason Jordan
Apr 18, 2025, 11:08 AM ET
Even Dayne Coates concedes that the irony is staggering.
What began as a self-conscious point of extreme frustration is the very thing that has gained him social media fame after clips of his unorthodox jump shot have amassed more than 25 million views across different platforms.
"It's pretty wild," said Coates, a junior point guard at Berne-Knox-Westerlo (New York). "Just to see all of the people recreating my shot and trying to do it has been cool for sure. I mean, it must look absurd seeing it for the first time. It's an absolutely ridiculous shot. I never would've imagined this kind of attention."
Coates, 17, was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when he was 3 years old. The neurological disorder can cause repetitive movements or sounds called tics.
Still, experts are divided on whether what's going on with Coates' shot is a tic or a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which is often associated with Tourette syndrome.
The tendency arises when he loads his shot; his right shooting hand separates from the ball, while his left guide hand brings the ball over near his right elbow where he rolls the ball back to his shooting hand and launches the shot.
By the time he fires, his form is picturesque.
"We've seen some specialists recently, but there's been nothing definitive," Shannon Coates, Dayne's mother, said. "I don't think we'll ever really know what specifically is going on with this because there's not a specific test for it."
It seems inconsequential, especially given the 6-foot-2 floor general pumped in 18 points per game this season and helped the Bulldogs go undefeated (26-0), culminating in a 63-47 win over Honeoye in the Class C state title game.
"He's just a special player," Berne-Knox-Westerlo coach Andy Wright said. "Of course, he's getting the attention because he's productive in spite of what he deals with, but just strictly from a basketball standpoint, he's elite and sound in basically every area of the game."
Be that as it may, Coates' journey has presented its fair share of valleys.
"He's averaging 18 points a game now, but if you take that issue away then he's probably averaging 30," Coates' father, Ryan, said. "We don't love to see him have to go through everything that comes with that. That's very frustrating, but he's a remarkable kid in every way and very resilient."
Dayne first noticed changes in his shot during his freshman season when his elbow "would just kick out" despite his best attempts to keep it in.
"That kept up my ninth and tenth grade years," Dayne said. "But I worked really hard to keep it in and once I finally started to do it my hand started to come off the ball. This year is when it got really bad."
Dayne said his confidence hit an all-time low on Jan. 18 when he went 1-of-10 from 3 in a 66-63 win over Voorheesville.
"My confidence was shot, I just couldn't make anything," he said. "The next game we blew the team out, so I had a lot of open shots, but I didn't even want to shoot. I didn't want to be there. I had like four points on two layups. It was bad."
Dayne relied on "intense" and consistent prayer, in-depth conversations with his family and not-so-subtle urgings from his teammates to stay the course.
"The guys would just yell at me when I wasn't taking shots, they'd get pissed," Dayne said. "The confidence they, my parents and my girlfriend had in me gave me this new confidence in myself that was stronger than I've ever had. But ultimately, I know it's my faith in God that really caused the change in my mind."
It's that renewed sense of urgency that Dayne said fuels him to elevate his level of play as he pursues the sport he loves the most.
And, no, it's not basketball.
"I'm so much better in football," Dayne said. "I love it more, and it's my best sport. I have that passion for it."
Dayne last played football as a freshman and starred as a receiver on the varsity team, scoring eight touchdowns, but the school ended the football program after that season.
Tourette syndrome had no effect on any aspect of his play, and he said his dream is to walk on at Albany.
Dayne uses the basketball offseason to prepare daily with a pro trainer focusing on receiver-specific workouts for his return to the gridiron. He'll also potentially play 7-on-7 this spring.
"I probably would love basketball more if I didn't have the issues," he said. "Even though I've accepted it, it's still frustrating. But even with that, I wouldn't love it more than football. That's just my sport. I love everything about it, and I'm putting everything I've got into it. It's what I want to do."
To that end, Ryan has no doubt about the trajectory of his son's future football career.
"People ask me if I really think he can play for Albany after not playing for years," Ryan said. "And I quickly say, 'Yeah.' When they ask why, I always say, 'Because he said he would.'"
