Freshman Emoni Bates has immense potential

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A freshman shouldn't have a national reputation prior to playing a single high school game. The vast majority don't. Emoni Bates isn't your regular freshman, though.

A 6-foot-7 small forward at Ypsilanti (Mich.) Lincoln, Bates is perhaps the most touted player of his age from the state of Michigan in the history of Rivals.com. At last weekend's USA Basketball minicamp he certainly lived up to his billing.

Smooth, athletic and skilled beyond his years, Bates was easily the best 2022 prospect in attendance and perhaps the best prospect regardless of class. He swished deep threes, handled and created off the dribble while playing above the rim and showed a well-developed all-around game.

“I’m versatile," said Bates. "I get my teammates better and I can score the ball real well. I’m just working on getting stronger.”

Only 14 years old, Bates has a confidence in his ability that like his game is far beyond his years. He truly seems fearless and doesn't sound at all worried about unfair expectations or having a target on him at such a young age. Not even an event like USA Basketball made him nervous, though he is aware of how big an honor it was to be chosen.

“Nothing is overwhelming to me," said Bates. "Fear has never been in me so (USA Basketball) is just regular. It does mean a lot to me to represent my country. I’m really blessed to be here.”

According to Bates, both Michigan and Michigan State have been by to watch him work out this fall and his first scholarship offer came from DePaul. The number of schools that will come by will grow and so will his scholarship offers.

There could be things much more significant than a college choice to discuss at some point down the road, but for now Bates is focused. He's looking forward to backing up the hype his freshman year and is going to use his play at USA Basketball to hit the floor with extreme confidence.

“It’s going to give me a lot of confidence going into high school," said Bates. "It’s going to boost my confidence a lot more than where I already was.”