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Jeff Borzello
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ESPN Staff Writer- Basketball recruiting insider info.
- He joined ESPN in 2014.
- Graduated from the University of Delaware.
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Mark Schlabach
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ESPN Senior Writer- Senior College Football Writer
- Author of seven books on college football.
- Graduated from the University of Georgia.
Widely considered the best high school prospect in more than a decade, Emoni Bates announced his commitment to the state of Michigan on Monday.
Bates also announced his plans for his last two years of high school; He will attend a new high school that his father, Elgin, will open this fall.
“Coach [Tom] Izzo and coach [Mike] Garland and the entire MSU staff have been showing love since their seventh year. They have been very consistent, “Elgin Bates told ESPN.” They really have genuine care for him and the family. They care about him, not just as a player, but as a person. That’s really great for us as a family and for him as a player. “
Despite being a potentially generational prospect, Michigan State was the only school to consistently recruit Bates during his high school career. Izzo was the only high-ranking head coach to actually chase Bates, he went to his games and kept in touch. June 15 was the first day college coaches could call up high school youths on the rise, and the Spartans were the only program that contacted Bates.
“They receive all my respect, really,” said Emoni Bates. “I love how they train, Coach Izzo, I like how they focus on defense rather than offense. That’s a big key in basketball and people don’t understand that. On and off the court, he’s passionate. It’s just an amazing guy, overall. “
Bates is the first five-star prospect to engage with the state of Michigan since Jaren Jackson in 2017, and he is the first No. 1 prospect to engage with Spartans since the ESPN recruitment database began in 2007.
“It has been great. [They’ve been] recruit him from eighth grade until now, “said Elgin Bates.” He loves the boys on campus, he loves even the cheering section, the student section. [Izzo] He is a great guy. Every time I see him we have great conversations. It is always more knowledge what he adds to my tool belt. I am pleased to be around a guy like Coach Izzo and be able to fluff up the knowledge and wisdom of a guy like that. “
When asked what he likes about the state of Michigan, Emoni Bates replied, “Everything.”
Bates, a 6-foot-9-inch wing with smooth offensive play and elite shooting ability, ranks No. 1 on the ESPN 60 for the class of 2022 and is also considered the best prospect in the country, regardless of class. When ESPN surveyed more than a dozen grassroots basketball experts last summer about the best high school prospect since LeBron James, Bates finished tied for third, behind Kevin Durant and Greg Oden.
In April, the Michigan native became the first sophomore to be named Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. As a high school freshman, Bates led Lincoln High (Ypsilanti, Michigan) to his first state championship, then led him to a 19-3 record and a place in the final of the District 18 state tournament against Ann Arbor Huron, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bates plays on the Nike EYBL circuit for the BATES Fundamentals program coached by his father. Last summer at the Nike Peach Jam, Bates averaged 32.2 points and 10.0 rebounds.
His light recruiting could be attributed to the expectation that Bates would never play college basketball, but would go directly to the NBA. But after the 2022 draft seemed like the target date to change the one-and-fact rule, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said in April that talks to eliminate one-and-fact have been suspended and may not recover for some years.
As a result, Bates’ chances of playing college basketball have increased. Several of the top prospects in the 2020 class, including No. 1 prospect Jalen Green, decided to join the new G League program instead of going to college, but Bates didn’t seem drawn to that option.
“It is good for certain players. That is a lot of money,” he said. “I don’t really plan, I don’t think I will. It’s good for some people, but I don’t think I’m going that route.”
Bates added that he would rather play college basketball than go to the G League.
There could be the option to reclassify after next year in the 2021 class and then do a graduate year before entering the NBA draft in 2022 if the age limit changes. Bates and his father confirmed that reclassification was on the table, but has not yet been decided.
“I don’t plan to reclassify. I’ll probably play two more years [of high school]”Bates said.” It really depends on how this year is going. After this year he will tell me everything I need to know. I can’t decide on that right now. After this year, if it’s too easy, I could, but if not, I’m probably going to play another year. “
“Everything is possible right now,” added Elgin Bates. “At the end of his third year, he will be in a position to graduate. We don’t know yet. It is up to him, it is a day-to-day thing for him. It may be a decision he decides to make later. On.”
However, Bates’ only future guarantee is where he will attend high school in the fall. Elgin is opening a high school run as a satellite campus at Aim High Academy in Michigan. He told ESPN that all classes are certified and approved by the NCAA.
They plan to play a national calendar against the country’s top high school teams, including the Montverde Academy and IMG in Florida, and are recruiting some of Bates’ AAU teammates and other potential talents from across the country. The 2022 Javaughn Hannah prospect is expected to attend school, as are main center Shawn Phillips and five-star guard Dillon Hunter of Atlanta.
Those three players attended a team event at Ypsilanti on Saturday.
“I felt it was time we did something different for Emoni,” said Elgin Bates. “He’s in a different situation right now. For him, his goal is to keep getting better. I felt like now would be the time to make the decision to go out and play a national calendar and stay hungry. And keep playing against the top echelon of talent. From high school “.
The basketball team, which is likely to be sponsored by Nike, will be coached by Bates, Corey Tucker, who trains with Bates on the AAU circuit, and veteran Michigan high school coach Jerry Ernst.
Elgin Bates said she planned to continue operating the school after her son completes high school.
“We definitely want to control the narrative,” said Bates. “That way you can see who’s trying to penetrate the wall, it basically controls your entire environment. Boys who don’t have the best interests of children, just want to make a name for themselves or be an attachment, it’s very unpleasant for me. Let’s control all this, let’s keep the circle super tight and small. “
“It feels really good,” said Emoni. “Because it’s like my hometown. I really didn’t want to leave yet, so it would feel good in my hometown.”
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