NCAA Basketball: Where will four-star 2021 guard Tamar Bates end up?

Oregon Ducks

Head coach Dana Altman has done very well in terms of recruiting combo guards in recent years, opting to want to use multiple ball-handlers for its offensive schemes. With Pac-12 Player of the Year Payton Pritchard now gone, it’ll be a collective effort going forward for the rest of the remaining guards. That includes Addison Patterson and Will Richardson.

Oregon also has a pair of newcomers on the perimeter as well in Saint Peter’s guard Aaron Estrada and freshman four-star point guard Jalen Terry. Assuming that the team once again adds a transfer guard next offseason, the backcourt may be too crowded for Bates to have an immediate impact. As we saw with forwards CJ Walker and Francis Okoro, there can be too many players and not enough rotation space for top-100 talent.

Texas Longhorns

Coach Shaka Smart has been busy on the recruiting trail, land a trio of three-star prospects for the 2021 class. The most notable is Emarion Ellis, a top-200 combo guard that projects to be a long-term rotational project for the Longhorns.

With Matt Coleman and Jase Febres both seniors and the entire perimeter rotation being upperclassmen overall, there’s a need for multiple guards to create a new core. Bates would certainly have a major role after his freshman year once Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones also departs.

The big concern here would be that Coach Smart’s job isn’t safe if Texas doesn’t make the 2021 NCAA Tournament. If that happens, there may be a new head coach in play for Bates to consider. Yet if things do go well, look for this program to be very attractive for quality prospects in the future to want to join, with plenty of space set to be available. Maybe Bates can be the focal point of that new group of Longhorns.