![]() ![]() All rights reserved.Bates was the first sophomore to win the Gatorade national player of the year award in high school basketball in 2020, beating out Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information / Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. ^ Back to Top ^ © 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. ![]() Information from The Associated Press was included in this report. "There's a chance for this young man to do some special things in the game of basketball," Michigan coach Juwan Howard said. And he competed with a fire that might make Eastern Michigan a serious threat in the MAC race - the Eagles were picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll - and a potential challenge for a Power 5 opponent in the first round if they can make their way to the NCAA tournament. He danced after a dunk in the second half. In the first half, he made a jump shot off one leg. Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who became a mentor and friend to Bates last year when he was with the Tigers, was also impressed by the sophomore's debut Friday.īates showed his touch from the 3-point line (3-for-6). ![]() "What people see is all the hype, but he's an 18-year-old kid who works really hard to be an elite basketball player.''Īgainst Michigan, Bates displayed some of the dazzling traits that prompted LeBron James to tweet "Emoni Bates up next!" after watching him at a grassroots event last summer. ![]() I can just tell you that he appreciates his opportunity to be back home, playing with a lot of teammates he has known for years. "When he came back and talked to the team, the coaches left. "It was a struggle for him when he was not with the team,'' Heath said. Defense attorney Steve Haney said the vehicle and the gun didn't belong to Bates.Įastern Michigan coach Stan Heath did not play Bates in the team's season-opening game on Monday against Division II Wayne State, and the former Michigan State assistant would not say why he sat the sophomore.īates was not made available to the media before or after the game, and Heath said it might be a few weeks before he is interviewed by reporters. A difficult chapter for the 6-foot-9 talent became more ominous after Eastern Michigan suspended him from all team activities as a result.īut Bates was reinstated to the team last month after prosecutors agreed to drop the charges against him. However, he was arrested on two felony charges related to a gun being found in a vehicle he was driving near campus in September. He landed at Eastern Michigan in his hometown of Ypsilanti. 3 per ESPN) before he signed with Penny Hardaway and Memphis months before the 2021-22 season.īut Bates, who was just 17 years old at the start of his freshman campaign, struggled in his first season of college basketball - 9.7 points, 39% shooting from the field, 2.3 turnovers per game - and decided to transfer. Once hailed as the next Kevin Durant in grassroots circles, Bates reclassified from the 2022 class, where he was the top recruit, according to ESPN's rankings, into the 2021 class (No. 3 recruit in the 2021 class who played at Memphis last season, made 7 of his first 9 shots (12-for-19 overall) against the Wolverines in his first game since transferring.ĭuring his sophomore season in high school, Bates was widely regarded as one of America's top recruits, regardless of class. 22 Michigan in Detroit on Friday night, Emoni Bates looked like the player who had once been hyped as a future NBA star, scoring 30 points and almost leading his team to an upset.īates, the No. Men's College Basketball, Eastern Michigan Eagles You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĮx-top recruit Emoni Bates has 30 in Eastern Michigan debut ![]()
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