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

2. Seton Hall Pirates

There’s been some big changes to the Pirates roster and program overall. Head coach Kevin Willard went to Maryland and they hired Shaheen Halloway from the Cinderella team Saint Peter’s from this past NCAA Tournament. They also will be without both Bryce Aiken and Jared Rhoden, the lone double-digit scorers for Seton Hall this past season. That would allow Bates to slide in and be a focal point on the offense and do so on a much better team than DePaul.

I also think that Bates would do well with Coach Halloway, who has shown to be a highly impressive x’s and o’s tactician with two-star talent. Imagine what he could do with a five-star prospect such as Bates? He’d help develop the player on both ends and Seton Hall offers just about everything that Bates would want on the court.

1. Louisville Cardinals

Coach Halloway was a former NBA player but new Louisville Head Coach Kenny Payne just came from the league with the New York Knicks. So right there, Bates can play for someone who knows what it takes to make it in the big leagues. And with the program currently rebuilding with little expectations, there’s no pressure for Bates to come in and lead them to the NCAA Tournament.

But if he did, that would be a big boost for the player’s reputation. And he’d be joining a roster that has some talent, including Tennessee transfer and former five-star center prospect Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and returning starters, El Ellis and Sydney Curry. But Bates could very much be a focal point of the offense for them and while he’d be with a prominent program that gets national eyes, the pressure being low could be the best situation for the player to get right back on track.