NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Pros and cons of Emoni Bates final 4 options
Michigan State Spartans
At one point, Bates was committed to the Spartans program. But after de-committing in the Spring, it looked as if it was a foregone conclusion that he would be going pro. But Michigan State is still in the picture. Could they end up with a second commitment with Bates?
Pros
Head coach Tom Izzo is a Hall of Famer and one of the best developers of all time. There are plenty of former Michigan State Spartan players in the NBA, including those who were surefire “one and done” prospects, along with four-year guys who managed to carve out a role for themselves. Imagine Coach Izzo with not one but two years with Bates? That would be a nightmare scenario for the rest of the Big Ten.
Related Story. Why Emoni Bates should pick Michigan State. light
Speaking of the Big Ten, that has consistently been (along with the ACC) the best basketball conference of the past decade. It’s a conference that gets maximum television coverage on the Big Ten Network, ESPN, and CBS and has plenty of quality competition for Bates to play against. And considering that Michigan State doesn’t return a single double-digit scorer from last season, the five-star forward can simply come in and be the focal point of the offense, something he may not get to do at Memphis.
Cons
The supporting case for Bates at Michigan State would be solid but far from a surefire Final Four contender. I’m not sure if they would be ahead of the likes of Purdue, Michigan, and Ohio State even with him. The Spartans’ offensive style also is more team-oriented than allowing just one player to go off every night and may not be the greatest fit, although there are some questions with Oregon and Memphis too.
And I’m also sure that there aren’t any hard feelings between the sides after de-committing but what would have happened between now and then that made the Spartans back to being the No. 1 option? There’s a real chance that both sides may have moved on, as both Memphis and Oregon have been linked with Bates than the Big Ten program. Conference affiliation and Coach Izzo are powerful selling points but the momentum seems to not be with them right now.