Emoni Bates Passes Test Puts Himself in Rare Air Nationally

Emoni Bates is a dynamic wing player with freakish length and agility and a scorers mentality who has the ability to essentially score at will at the 2022 level.  Offensively Bates is an extremely special player, who has post skills to go along with a quick release exceptional jumper that extends well beyond the 3-point stripe. His ability to pull up off the dribble should be illegal for a player that is approaching 6’6 and a rising 7^th grader.

Bates can simply dominate elite competition and top defenders in his class, as his combination of height, length, athleticism, and skill is completely unrivaled on this level – there simply is not anyone who at his size is doing the things that he is doing and he is doing them exceptionally well.  Despite a laid-back nature, he is beginning to understand when and how to take over games; a trait that once mastered takes him to the next level and will strike fear into the hearts of opponents. We want to see him demand the ball in crunch time and every indication watching him develop over a 3-day period - that part is clearly on the horizon.  Bates sword was sharpened, he was tested, and he responded showing what he made of as a competitor.

He's skilled and instinctual enough to have an offense ran through him – he is more than capable and unselfish enough to work as a lead guard – he literally can play all 5-positions WELL. Already a great rebounder who understands the importance of boxing out and can simply leap over players who try to push him out of the lane;  Bates has the potential to become a great defender with his wing span and great leaping ability and his shot blocking is exciting, instinctual, and a game changing skill.

What you are seeing with this young man is something special in the making; something that doesn’t come around very often – continually testing himself against the very best will not only magnify the elite level aspects of his game it will allow him to be properly tested as he develops the other areas.  Players such as Bates have to find and seek out challenges as finding 9-more on a court or event two in some markets will be difficult or impossible.   

With that said look for Bates to be a household coast to coast name well before high school as we expect him to take on all challenger and comers because in speaking with the player he not only wants it he wants to be the best at it – nothing else will be satisfactory for this young stud.