CLASS OF 2022. Emoni Bates, joined by his family, announces that he plans to take his talents to East Lansing to play for Michigan State. The basketball team, which is likely to be sponsored by Nike, will be coached by Elgin; Corey Tucker, who coaches with Elgin on the AAU circuit; and longtime Michigan high school coach Jerry Ernst. Edit. 6-8, 200 | Class of 2022. "By the end of his junior year, he will be in position to graduate. ", "Magic, Michael, LeBron ... Emoni Bates? He is a consensus five-star recruit and the number one player in the 2022 recruiting class. Meet the 15-Year-Old Next in Line", "Monday's preps: River Rouge upstages Ypsilanti Lincoln, Emoni Bates", "Watch Emoni Bates explode for 40 points in win over Dexter", "Phenom Emoni Bates wears No. Looking at the best potential college basketball nonconference matchups with a local flair, Bubbles, buy games and bid worries: Inside the frenzy to save college basketball's nonconference season, Calipari: Won't play Louisville at neutral site, SEC sets conference play dates for men, women, Pac-12 gives hoops go-ahead for Nov. 25 start, Federal NIL bill introduced for college sports, British guard Hildreth commits to Wake Forest, NCAA says IARP to handle LSU infractions case, Courtside: Greenberg and Dakich talk to Kentucky's John Calipari about his idea of playing college basketball in August, Same as it ever was? Small forward. Emoni. [24] On March 5, he had 48 points and 13 rebounds to lead his team past Catholic Central High School by a score of 79–48. Will high school phenom Emoni Bates really play at Michigan State? ", When asked what he likes about Michigan State, Emoni Bates responded: "Everything.". In fourth grade, he played against high school seniors at a rec league in Saline, Michigan and started competing on the Amateur Athletic [3] In his childhood, Bates trained for basketball with his father, a former professional player, by shooting around and improving his agility through various drills. "[Izzo] is a great guy. For him, his goal is to always continue to get better. Bates. During the game, Bates wore a number 24 jersey to honor his childhood idol, Kobe Bryant, who had died in a helicopter crash in the previous day. "They really have a genuine care for him and the family. Those three players attended a team event in Ypsilanti on Saturday. [34] He received a scholarship offer from NCAA Division I program DePaul in eighth grade. [18], Entering his sophomore season, Bates appeared on the cover of the November 4, 2019 issue of Sports Illustrated. "Because it's like my hometown. As a high school freshman, Bates led Lincoln High (Ypsilanti, Michigan) to its first state championship, then led it to a 19-3 record and a spot in the District 18 state tournament final against Ann Arbor Huron. 1 in Class of 2022", "Get to know Ypsilanti's Emoni Bates, America's top 7th-grade basketball player", "Strong future ahead for Emoni Bates and Ypsilanti Lincoln", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emoni_Bates&oldid=979575392, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. He's just an amazing guy, overall.". It's always more knowledge that he adds to my tool belt. Emoni Bates, the world’s top basketball prospect, committed to Michigan State on Monday, and this would be a simple story if it happened in 1990 instead of 2020.It is not that simple. "He loves the guys on campus, he loves even the cheering section, the student section," Elgin Bates said.