NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from Emoni Bates shocking transfer to Eastern Michigan
The next steps for Emoni Bates
The good news for Bates is that this is finally over and he can focus on playing well for Eastern Michigan. He’ll be going back home, which has its pros and cons but maybe having more comfort will help get his confidence back.
Playing at the MAC level also has its pros and cons. It’s an easier level of competition for Bates and he should, if things go right, be an all-conference or even player of the year candidate. At the same time, that means that expectations will be that the former five-star prospect will be sky-high there. If he doesn’t average around 20 ppg on highly efficient numbers, his already down pro stock will plummet even more.
There’s still some hope for Bates to eventually be a future 1st round NBA Draft. Patrick Baldwin Jr. had a disastrous first-year campaign at Milwaukee of the Horizon League but still got drafted No. 28 to the Golden State Warriors. Despite his flaws, Bates still is a 6’9 guard that can shoot from anywhere and has the athleticism to succeed.
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Will Eastern Michigan ultimately be that place to unlock his potential? That depends on if Bates and his camp can make the right decisions and if the supporting cast plays well to take the pressure off of him. The Eagles suddenly became part of a major NCAA Basketball storyline next season but it remains to be seen whether it’ll go good or bad.