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

Oregon Ducks

This team has been one of the more consistently good programs from out west, including a Final Four appearance in 2017, the last Pac-12 team to make it that far before UCLA broke it this past NCAA Tournament. It’s rare for players to go out west but could Bates break that trend?

Pros

Out of the three NCAA Basketball options, Oregon is the one most likely to make the Final Four, even without Bates on board. A solid group of incoming transfers (De’Vion Harmon, Jacob Young,  Quincy Guerrier), and five-star incoming stretch forward Nathan Bittle make this team very formidable and consensus No. 1 threat to UCLA in the Pac-12. There’s also Nike money when it comes to N.I.L., which is just as big as anything FedEx can offer.

And as good as Oregon is on paper for this season, they could be even better if Bates stays for another year. They already have top-10 point guard Dior Johnson and top-20 center Kel’el Ware committed for the 2022 class and have just one senior (Jacob Young) on the current roster. The right circumstance could have the Ducks as the preseason No. 1 team for the 2022-23 campaign.

Cons

It’s not that players are “invisible” while playing in the Pac-12, but Evan Mobley of USC didn’t get the coverage he deserved last season despite being Conference Player of the Year. If Bates picks the Ducks, we very well could have to find a way to watch him on the infamous Pac-12 Network if ESPN doesn’t get the game.

The Ducks also have an interesting backcourt, with three guards capable of handling the ball but none are a true point guard. That may have a negative effect on Bates and may force him to create his own offense next season. This is a team that has a high ceiling but a low floor if injuries and current roster questions aren’t figured out.

Assuming Emoni Bates doesn’t pick the G League, having such a high-profile star in NCAA Basketball will make us fans the big winners no matter where he goes. It’ll be interesting to see where he ends up, along with the potential coverage of his ups and downs. Best of luck to the young man as he makes a move that’ll certainly send shockwaves throughout the sport.