NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Pros and cons of Emoni Bates final 4 options

Memphis Tigers

Head coach Penny Hardaway always seems to land a five-star prospect late in the offseason each year. And after previously landing James Wiseman and Moussa Cisse, Memphis was able to get Jalen Duren, who actually overtook Bates to be the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class this offseason before moving up to join the Tigers. Could these two actually end up playing with one another?

Pros

Due to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) now being in play, the money potentially for Bates may be up there with what the G League has to offer. That’s particularly true for Memphis, which has FedEx on its side. And not only will he get to play for former NBA All-star Penny Hardaway but also new assistant Rasheed Wallace, an NBA Champion with the Detroit Pistons and quality power forward for over a decade in the league.

Duren’s arrival also could be very helpful for Bates as well. He’d take pressure off of Bates in terms of the spotlight and would be a lethal 1-2 punch in the frontcourt. And after Duren leaves for the NBA Draft after next season, Bates would then be the star for the 2022-23 team, benefitting from the experience as a freshman and displaying his own capabilities to get ready for the draft in the following year.

Cons

I talked about the positive effects of playing with Duren but there’s also a negative point. What if there’s a clear No. 1 option for the Tigers and it ends up being Duren? That would heavily affect Bates and the narrative of him being a franchise-changing player. And I’m sure they’re friendly with one another and could play together but two huge names that need the ball a lot could cause friction between themselves and the rest of the team.

There’s also the factor of conference affiliation for Memphis being in the AAC. If Bates doesn’t look like a superstar there, questions will surely arise about how he’ll do in the NBA. The Pac-12 and Big Ten face more competition and have made the NCAA Tournament more regularly. And may the biggest negative for Memphis is that Coach Hardaway has done more off the court than on the court and as a coach, isn’t on the same level as a Dana Altman (Oregon), or Tom Izzo (Michigan State).