NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 6 finalists for Memphis transfer Emoni Bates

There may be better players in the NCAA Basketball transfer portal but the biggest and most notable name has to be Emoni Bates, a former No. 1 overall recruit out of high school that at one point, drew comparisons to the great LeBron James.

Unfortunately, it didn’t go as well as expected at Memphis in his lone season, averaging 9.7 ppg on 39% shooting from the field and 33% from three-point range. He scored double figures in eight of 18 games and dealt with injuries, missing most of the last two months of the season before coming back to the NCAA Tournament.

Instead of deciding to enter the NBA Draft, Bates decided to enter the transfer portal, looking for a new start. Considering how much his draft stock tumbled in the past year, it made sense not to go to the draft, as the former five-star prospect has a chance to rehab his image as a basketball player and if things go well, could get back into the top-10 range of the 2023 NBA Draft?

But where will Bates end up? The former Michigan State commit got a good amount of interest but it looked as if the “blue bloods” were targeting bigger options in the portal. After a week or so in the market, Bates is now down to six options.

It’s an interesting mix of teams that each offers something different for Bates. But which of them makes the most sense? Here’s a look at how I would rank the six reported finalists for the former five-star prospect.