College basketball fans were expecting Emoni Bates to announce on Wednesday where he’ll be playing basketball next season. Well, it turns out we’ll have to wait a bit longer for that announcement.
Bates’ father announced on Instagram that his son will reveal his decision on Friday night. The No. 5 recruit in the 2021 class is considering Oregon, Memphis, Michigan State and the G-League.
Michigan State landed a commitment from Bates in 2020 before he ultimately changed his mind. Now, analysts are actually ranking the Spartans last out of the remaining finalists.
Travis Branham of 247Sports expects Bates to join Penny Hardaway’s squad at Memphis.
“The intel is still indicating that Memphis is the leader but my personal confidence is slightly lower with Bates than it was with Duren,” Branham said. “There is still a chance that Oregon or the G League could come away with the prized prospect but there is little-to-no expectation that he will wind back up with Michigan State.”
Emoni Bates will announce his decision on Friday night, his father announced on Instagram last night.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) August 25, 2021
Even though Bates has reclassified into the 2021 class, he’s not eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft because of his age.
Bates will have to spend the next two years working on his game before he can officially go pro. That means he should be NBA-ready by the time the 2023 draft comes around.
Of course, college basketball fans would love to see Bates choose Memphis, Michigan State or Oregon on Friday night. However, we can’t dismiss the G-League’s track record when it comes to developing five-star players like Bates.
The post Five-Star Recruit Emoni Bates Reportedly Changes Commitment Date appeared first on The Spun.
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