Emoni Bates, One of the most hyped high school basketball outlooks in recent memory, Heading to a new school. And it’s in his hometown.
Bates from Ypsilanti, Michigan, Announced on Wednesday He will transfer to Eastern Michigan University.
Bates on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a sophomore in high school In comparison to NBA greats like LeBron James and Kevin DurantHeads to EMU after an uneven freshman season in Memphis playing under Penny Hardaway.
During his lonely season with the Tigers, 6ft 9 Bates played 18 games with 13 starts. He averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, shooting only 38.6% from the field. Bates apparently missed a significant portion of the season with a back injury, but returned to the reserves of two NCAA tournament games in Memphis. In particular, Memphis was 10-2 without Bates in the lineup.
Following the season, Bates decides to enter the transfer portal.. In May, he publicly narrowed suitors to six schools: Arkansas, DePaul, East Michigan, Louisville, Michigan, and Seaton Hall. Louisville was initially considered to like to land Bates, and there have been rumors of contact with other schools in the last few weeks. In the end, Bates decided to move his home to EMU.
A member of the Mid-American Conference, Eastern Michigan played 10-21 last season and was the first head coach, Stan Heath. Heath is EMU’s Alum, formerly Head Coach at Kent State University, Arkansas, and South Florida. Eastern Michigan, which also added transfers from Georgetown and Providence this offseason, finally reached the NCAA tournament in 1998.
“People probably look crazy about me because I’m thinking of the east.” Bates told On3 in May.. “But if you go there, you’ll be like a hero in your neighborhood. When I was in Lincoln, I was playing in Eastern during a high school game, and we packed it every time. It would be crazy for me to be able to bring love to me. “
The winding road of Emoni Bates
A few years ago, Bates was considered the number one player in the 2022 class. Welcomed by some as the best outlook since LeBron James.. Bates leads Lincoln High School to the state championship as a freshman, Received the National Gatorade Player of the Year Award as a sophomore.. Bates, the first sophomore in history, was seen as having the potential to become number one in the NBA Draft in the future.
In June 2020, Bates verbally committed to Michigan, but many were skeptical about going to East Lansing as high school prospects had access to professional options.
In April 2021, Bates withdrew from Michigan and after playing at a prep school established by his father. He later decided to reclassify to the 2021 class.. At that time (August 2021), he narrowed down his options to four. G League Ignite, Memphis, Michigan, Oregon. Later that month Bates chooses to team up with fellow five-star prospect Jalen Duren in Memphis..
In the final 2021 player rankings from rivals, Bates finished fifth in the nation. Durene, a 6-foot-11 center that also moved from the 2022 class to the 2021 class, was fourth.
Durene had a strong year in Memphis and was ranked 13th overall in the NBA Draft last week. Three players, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Shaddon Sharp, who were ranked ahead of Durene and Bates, were also the choices for the first round. Banchero and Holmgren were selected as the top two. Sharp came in 7th place.
Bates, who had just turned 18 on January 28, was not eligible for drafting because of his age. The eastern Michigan season is booming and there is still time for Bates to blossom in the first round of talent in 2023.
