Emoni Bates, a five-star forward and No. 4 overall prospect in the 2021 class, committed to and enrolled in the University of Memphis on Wednesday, per his and Joe Tipton’s Instagrams. He chose the Tigers over Michigan State, the NBA G-League Ignite and Oregon.
Bates’ recruitment was an absolute rollercoaster. Previously being compared as one of the most elite high school prospects as LeBron James, he committed to Michigan State last summer before de-committing in April. He was seen as a lock to go pro out of high school until student-athletes were given NIL monetary rights.
The recruitment between Bates and Memphis could be under NCAA violation of their new NIL rules, according to Mit Winter of Kennyhertz Perry LLC. With NIL rules being so new, there are only really two major one’s schools must follow: they cannot be considered “pay for play”, and cannot be used as a recruiting incentive.
Memphis may have violated the latter, as On3’s report on Bates’ top four list stated that a potential NIL deal discussed during his recruitment was discussed between FedEx and Bates. If the NCAA investigates this, it would be the first deal looked into since the rules took effect on July 1.
Even though Bates will leave high school early, he will not be eligible for the NBA until the 2023 draft. The Association’s draft eligibility rules require prospects to be at least 19 years old and a year removed from high school, and Bates will not fulfil the former requirement until his birthday in January of 2023. With two years until draft eligible, Bates’ father told Jeff Goodman of Stadium that they will “re-evaluate everything after the year.”
Penny Hardaway has brought in an absolute haul to retool his roster that just won an NIT championship last season. Memphis boasts the number one recruiting class this year, with the No. four player in Bates, the fifth-ranked player in Jalen Duren, the No. 44 player in Josh Minott, and three additional top-150 players in Johnathan Lawson, Sam Ayomide and John Camden.
In addition to their six incoming freshmen, the Tigers also added two transfers who are immediately eligible, Chandler Lawson from Oregon and Earl Timberlake from Miami, as well as traditional sit-out transfer Tyler Harris of Iowa State.
They return Chandler Lawson, Alex Lomax, Landers Nolley II, Lester Quinones, Earl Timberlake and DeAndre Williams from the top ranked team in adjusted defensive efficiency in the country, per KenPom.com. Memphis will likely be ranked in the top ten of the preseason AP Poll, and is currently ranked the third best team in the country according to Bartorvik’s 2022 T-Rank Projections.
Bates has told Joe Tipton of TiptonEdits that he will spend significant time playing point guard at Memphis. This was seen as likely with now eight forwards on the roster and most of the guards on their roster from last season no longer with the program.
The Ypsilanti, MI native moved up from class of 2022 into 2021 on Aug. 4. Bates was the man to beat in the class of 2022 for years until Duren overtook being the number one prospect for their previous high school class in June.
His development noticeably stagnated after his father started his own team for him, Yspi Prep Academy. After averaging 24.6 points and 6.6 rebounds a game as the star of his own team, Bates joined Team Final (PA) in May for the EYBL circuit.
This will likely be Coach Hardaway’s first team to make it to the NCAA Tournament since taking over at Memphis. Prior to Bates’ commitment, the Tigers were tied for the 11th best odds to win the 2022 national title according to VegasInsider.com.
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