The race for Emoni Bates is nearing a conclusion. Bates, widely renowned as the nation’s top high school prospect in the class of 2022 is reclassifying into the 2021 class, according to social media national recruiting expert Joe Tipton and Stadium basketball analyst Jeff Goodman.
Source: The State News
Emoni Bates no longer is committed to Michigan State basketball. The No. 1 player in the 2022 class posted on Instagram late Friday afternoon he plans to reopen his recruitment. “I would like to thank Tom Izzo and the coaching staff at Michigan State but I have decided to reopen my recruitment,” Bates wrote. “I’m not sure what my future holds but I am keeping all of my options open, both college and pro.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
If you think college basketball was a hectic undertaking during the COVID-19 pandemic, take a look at how high school basketball went.Two Michigan State’s four committed recruits had to suffer through long waits to find out if their season would even happen, then play shortened seasons while wearing masks. One had the adventure of playing for two teams in far different regions of the country, while another played for an upstart program.
Source: mlive.com
Emoni Bates hears the questions. He knows Michigan State basketball fans are anxious to see the top-ranked Spartan commit play in green and white, especially after another MSU loss Friday. Bates, who turns 17 on Jan. 28, is soft-spoken and succinct. When asked Friday about reclassifying grade levels, he said he’s focused on getting better while playing with fledgling Ypsilanti Prep Academy.
Source: Detroit Free Press
As Emoni Bates watched Michigan State get off to an 0-3 start in Big Ten play this season before they won their last two league games, he couldn’t help but think that things might’ve been different had he been with the Spartans. “He says that all the time,” Elgin Bates, Emoni’s father, said this week in a phone interview. “Plus, he has a couple close friends that play on that roster and he always says, ‘I wish I was out there with my boys,’ so I know he could definitely, definitely help them, but adversity is the key to success.”
Source: Forbes
Newly formed Ypsi Prep Academy in their first ever nationally televised event delivered with electrifying performances from Emoni Bates and Jaden Akins both. Bates finished with 36 points and 10 rebounds, while Akins chipped in 17 points as Ypsi Prep fell short to Chet Holmgren (31 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks) and Team Sizzle, 78-71. So let’s dive right into the film.
Source: Spartan Hoops
“I think we’ve built a strong class in the ‘21 class with me, Pierre and Max so far,” Akins told the Free Press on Wednesday morning. “All three of us can get our own shot and score and create. So I feel like we got a lot of talented players, and also the players that are already State. I feel like we’re building something special.” That “so far” is a reference to two 2022 commitments — swingman Emoni Bates, Akins’ current teammate at Ypsi Prep, and forward Enoch Boakye — who might reclassify and join the trio that signed Wednesday
Source: Detroit Free Press
Ypsi Prep Academy will make its debut Thursday night at 8:30 on ESPN2 on when it plays host to Team Sizzle from Minneapolis at Concordia University in Ann Arbor. Of course, Ypsi Prep Academy is a new school formed by E.J. Bates, father of 6-foot-9 junior Emoni Bates, who is considered to be the nation’s top high school basketball player. E.J. is the team’s head coach.
Source: Detroit News
247Sports updated its basketball recruiting rankings for the class of 2022 on Wednesday, and Michigan State commitment Emoni Bates remains the top overall player in the class. Bates maintained his 101 rating, keeping him at No. 1 among all junior prospects. MSU’s other class of 2022 commitment, Canadian center Enoch Boakye, dropped one spot to No. 20 overall. His rating of 98 was not adjusted.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
Tom Izzo has been hot when it comes to recruiting elite talent. What does it all mean and will Emoni Bates, the No. 1 recruit in America, actually play for the Spartans?
When Michigan State basketball landed Ypsi Prep Academy guard Emoni Bates on June 29, head coach Tom Izzo secured the highest-rated recruit of his tenure. Naturally, bringing in a five-star recruit like Bates will produce great publicity and buzz for the MSU basketball program. But Bates, the Gatorade national player of the year, could bring a lot more to the table.
Source: Detroit Free Press
In the span of a week, Michigan State landed two of the most dynamic perimeter players in the country, regardless of class, in Emoni Bates and Max Christie. Still, as it stands, Spartan fans would have to wait a year to see the tandem do damage together; Christie is in the 2021 class and Bates is the top player in 2022, though sources tell Sports Illustrated that he will likely move to 2021, a scenario Christie is hoping for.
Source: Sports Illustrated
With all the words that you are about to read in the next couple of minutes, please remember one thing: We are talking about a 16-year-old athlete here. Not your everyday 16-year-old, I‘ll give you that. We are talking about a teenager who was named the best high school player in the entire nation, a kid who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 15 years of age and a young man that some people consider one of the best prospects the sport has ever seen.
Source: The Only Colors
Emoni Bates could be the most talented prep basketball player since LeBron James went straight from high school to the NBA nearly two decades ago. And if he ends up going to Michigan State, Bates could become the bar-setter for just how much a college athlete’s name, image and likeness is worth.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Bates is a transcended talent whose presence alone automatically would make Michigan State a national championship favorite for the 2022-2023 season (or 2021-2022 season if he reclassifies). So, of course, Michigan State Spartans supporters are ecstatic about what this means for the future of the program.
Source: The Only Colors
Michigan State landed a cornerstone prospect this week in Emoni Bates — a player Tom Izzo can build a team around to make a run at an NCAA title. Now comes the task of planning the pieces around the top-ranked prospect in the country to give him and the Spartans the best chance to succeed.
Source: mlive.com
In this emergency pod, Dan re-welcomes everyone back to Breslin Banter. This isn’t how he wanted to reintroduce the pod, but when EMONI BATES commits to Michigan State, you’ve gotta make some adjustments. Here he also introduces his new co-host, David Klein, and they go in-depth on what to expect from the new brand, Spartan Hoops.
Emoni Bates may never take a shot for Michigan State. His commitment to the Spartans’ basketball program Monday was a big win for Tom Izzo anyway. The best high school player in the country told a national audience he loved the Green and White. On the recruiting trail, that will help almost as much as Bates’ silky jumpers. Just ask Izzo, who can’t talk about Bates’ announcement just yet, but who has said in the past that winning doesn’t influence recruiting as much as signing and sending other star recruits to the NBA. The best players in the country look at the path of other players.
Source: Detroit Free Press