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Emoni Bates Considering Michigan, Louisville, More After Entering Transfer Portal
May 3, 2022
Former Memphis Tigers forward Emoni Bates has identified six schools as possible transfer destinations.
Bates told Joe Tipton of On3 on Monday that he is considering Michigan, Arkansas, Seton Hall, DePaul, Louisville and Eastern Michigan after he entered the transfer portal last month.
Tipton added that before cutting his list to six, Bates also received interest from Georgetown, Kansas, Oregon, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Butler and Washington State, among others.
A former 5-star prospect, Bates was once considered the top player in his class who had a chance to turn pro. But he decided to reclassify to 2021 and chose Memphis over the G League and Michigan State, which had recruited him extensively. Bates failed to live up to lofty expectations in his lone season with the Tigers.
Appearing in just 18 games, Bates averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three-point range. He had scored at least 15 points in each of his first three games, but he failed to reach that mark for the remainder of the season. Bates missed the entire month of February and some time in March because of a back injury.
Memphis went 22-11 and earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament. But Bates was extremely quiet in the Tigers' two games, scoring just three points in three minutes in a first-round win over Boise State and just five points in 12 minutes in the loss to Gonzaga in the second round.
Bates likely has a desire to get to the NBA after an uneventful freshman season. But at the age of 18, he's ineligible to enter the league because players must turn 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft. Bates will have the chance to prove that his first year was an anomaly once he decides on his transfer destination if he doesn't choose to enter the G League.
Recruit information via 247Sports' composite rankings.