Following his freshman season with Memphis, Emoni Bates has announced he will be committing to Eastern Michigan and head coach Stan Heath to play in his hometown of Ypsilanti, Michigan. With Bates initially cutting his transfer list to six programs including Arkansas, Louisville, Michigan, Seton Hall, DePaul, and EMU, many heavily linked the forward to Louisville before a surprising selection to join the Eagles.
In his one season with Penny Hardaway’s Tigers, Bates performed well averaging 9.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.3 APG in 18 appearances but battled injuries throughout the season dealing with a lower back issue. Furthermore, Bates had reclassified to join the class of 2021 and was ineligible to enter this year’s NBA Draft forcing him to search out a new destination for his sophomore season.
While Bates hasn’t entirely become the generational prospect he was once tabbed to be if the 6-foot-9 forward can stay healthy and productive he has the potential to be a versatile and lethal scorer at the collegiate level. Specifically, Bates can bring to Eastern Michigan an athletic presence who can score effectively from all three levels, uses his length and size well on offense, and has the potential to develop as a defender and passer.
In committing to Eastern Michigan, Bates joins fellow offseason transfers Jalin Billingsley formerly of Georgetown, Duquesne guard Tyson Acuff, and Providence freshman Legend Geeter who’s also a Michigan native.
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