On Wednesday, five-star prospect Emoni Bates announced that he will be playing next season for head coach Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers.
Bates chose Memphis over Michigan State, Oregon and the NBA G League Ignite. The decision to play with the program figures to make the Tigers a favorite to win the American Athletic Conference and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
With Bates set to join the Tigers next season, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant welcomed him to the city with open arms. Morant has often kept up with the Tigers since getting drafted by the Grizzlies two years ago and shows love when he can.
@BatesEmoni welcome to MEMPHIS lil bro 💪🏽💪🏽🖤 time to turn da city 🆙
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) August 25, 2021
Bates is considered perhaps the top high school prospect in over a decade and has often been compared to Kevin Durant. His recruitment has been highly publicized as he projects to have a tremendous impact at the next level at Memphis.
Because he will not turn 19 until January 2023, Bates will not be eligible for the NBA draft next year. He would need to spend at least two seasons in college prior to entering the draft in 2023.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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