Honorable mention: Paul Davis, Maurice Ager, Jason Richardson (pictured), Gary Harris, Eric Snow, Alan Anderson, Bryn Forbes, Raymar Morgan, Chris Hill, Keith Appling, Shannon Brown, Nick Ward, Andre Hutson, Durrell Summers, Branden Dawson, Matt Steigenga, Adreian Payne, Kirk Manns, Julius McCoy, Horace Walker, Kevin Willis, Matt Costello. Emoni Bates , a forward for Ypsilanti Lincoln High School and the top player in the class of 2022 has verbally committed to Michigan State as of now. Michigan State Commit Emoni Bates Would Be In Mix For No. Vincent started 109 of his 110 career games and scored 32 points in his only NCAA Tournament appearance, a loss to UAB. Two years ago, … He helped the Spartans reach their first Final Four in 1957 as a sophomore and earned All-American honors in each of his final two seasons. 11. Emoni Bates, who just announced a commitment to Michigan State, is the best high school prospect that I’ve evaluated at this stage. Go through the gallery to view The Detroit News' top 20 Michigan State basketball players of all-time, compiled by Matt Charboneau. Bell started 136 games during his time and as a senior, was forced to play point guard and still was first-team All-Big Ten and named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. Valentine is fourth in program history in assists (639), won a Big Ten title and helped MSU reach the 2015 Final Four. But when basketball phenom Emoni Bates announced he was transferring away from Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, it was a transfer announcement unlike anything we have seen. In addition, it was less than a year ago when E.J. Bates was asked on SportsCenter why he felt more schools didn’t offer Emoni during the recruiting process? In the first matchup of the year, Lincoln went to Ypsilanti's sold-out gym and beat the Grizzlies 68-56 behind Emoni Bates' 43 points. He returned for his senior season and averaged 17 points a game, though the season ended with a first-round tournament loss. Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about. 19. Bates is expected to be joined by Lincoln teammate John McCrear, Dillon Hunter of Atlanta and several other Metro Detroit players, including Javaughn Hannah of Mount Clemens, Orlando Lovejoy of Romulus Summit Academy and possibly four-star guard Jaden Akins of Farmington. Watch as Bates is thrown to the ground as he goes in for a layup. Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in. Sam Vincent (1981-85): Vincent shared the court with Scott Skiles for the bulk of his career, yet still managed to pile up 1,851 points, good for eighth in Michigan State history. Michigan standout is recognized as the top prospect regardless of class. Can score in a multitude of ways. 24 retired, was also first-team All-Big Ten as a junior while also scoring 20.1 points as a sophomore and 15.8 as a freshman. 32 hangs in the Breslin rafters, was especially effective in the postseason, highlighted by the ’79 title run when he averaged 25.4 points and 10.6 rebounds in five games, highlighted by 34 points against Notre Dame in the regional final. 15. Respert, who along with Johnny Green had his No. Emoni Bates, a Michigan State basketball commit and the No. Johnny Green (1956-59): Jumpin’ Johnny Green still stands as one of the greatest rebounders in program history, as his career average of 16.4 rebounds a game still stands as MSU’s best. Scott Skiles (1982-86): One of the most fiery players in program history, Skiles was a consensus second-team All-American as a senior in 1986, the same season he averaged 27.4 points and 6.5 assists. 7. Ypsilanti Lincoln basketball phenom Emoni Bates, the No. Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only. He fought through it to help the Spartans earn a title, then emerged as a standout his final two seasons, averaging 21.6 points and 7.7 rebounds as a junior, and 22.6 points and 8.5 rebounds as a senior. Considered the best high school … but first state title in program history. His best season came as a junior in 2006-07 when he averaged 18.1 points and 4.3 assists while making 114 3-pointers, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors and almost single-handedly getting the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament. Then he is drafted to play college basketball for Michigan State and viewed as the best high school prospect regardless since high school. The list includes Earvin "Magic" Johnson (left) and Greg Kelser, teammates on the 1979 national champion. Defending Division 1 state champion Ypsilanti Lincoln will have a new look surrounding the nation’s top player, Emoni Bates. 10. You do not need a Facebook profile to participate. 9. National Gatorade High School Player of the Year award winner Emoni Bates of Ypsilanti Lincoln announced Monday that he committed to Michigan State. He is a consensus five-star recruitand the number one player in the 2022 recruiting class. Watch highlights from Bates’ high school mixtape via YouTube: 1 Pick In This Year’s NBA Draft If Eligible, Experts Say ... Ypsilanti Lincoln Railsplitter sophomore Emoni Bates in ... Bates … He earned All-American honors that season and with 1,914 points, ranks seventh in program history. Greg Kelser (1975-79)L Known by many as Magic Johnson’s sidekick in the 1979 national title team, Kelser averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in his four seasons and is the only player in program history to score more than 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds. He averaged 16.8 points and six rebounds as a senior while shooting 42.5 percent on 3-pointers and being named Big Ten Player of the Year. Multiple 2022 NBA mock drafts have Bates being the No. 4 hangs in the Breslin Center rafters for a player whose 850 points as a senior still ranks as the best in MSU history. Top-ranked Sophomore Emoni Bates and Butler commit Scooby Johnson went head-to-head in Grand Rapids! Emoni Bates may be the biggest high school basketball recruit since LeBron James. As a junior, Bates will join Ypsi Prep Academy in Ypsilanti. Elite three-level scorer. Quick twitch athlete who moves feet well and is quick off the floor. Then, Bates was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in November before becoming the leader of a young Lincoln team that finished 19-3 and advanced to the district title game when the season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 16. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Simpson also averaged 10.3 rebounds and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors while garnering third-team All-American recognition from the NABC. From there, he was off to the NBA where he would cement himself as one of the legends of the game, being named the league’s MVP three times while winning five NBA titles. He still ranks third in total rebounds with 1,036, trailing only Draymond Green and Greg Kelser, who each played four full seasons while Green played three. E.J. Four Michigan State basketball players were in attendance for the big game, and they were accompanied by an MSU assistant coach. A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 5. In back-to-back seasons, Bates was named Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year. 2. A small forward, he stands 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) and weighs 205 pounds (93 kg). Has deep range off catch or dribble. Bates averaged 31 points and 10 rebounds this past season, scoring 40 or more points five times, including a 63-point, 21-rebound performance in a double-overtime win over Chelsea. Ypsi Prep Academy will play powerhouse schools across the country, unlike what the MHSAA allows high school teams to play. A consensus first-team All-American in 1999 and one of 10 players to have his number retired, Cleaves still holds the program record with 20 assists in a game. He bumped his scoring average nearly five points the next season, averaging 25.1 as a senior while earning consensus second-team All-American honors. On Monday, Bates and his teammates took on Ann Arbor Pioneer in an MHSAA district playoff game and things got ugly. 14. Elite, elite prospect. He earned All-American honors as well as a spot on the All-Big Ten first team as a senior, scoring 23 points a game and handing out four assists. (WXYZ) — Emoni Bates is the Gatorade national boys basketball player of the year. But this had to be in the works for a while because you don’t start a prep school overnight.”. A small forward, he stands 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) and weighs 205 pounds (93 kg). According to multiple reports, Bates’ prep school will be run as a Michigan satellite campus to Aim High Academy. Has a feel as a passer. Bates, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, was on … 20. Terry Furlow (1972-76): The ninth-leading scorer in program history, the Flint native’s senior season was one of the most impressive from a scoring standpoint ever at MSU. 3. National Gatorade High School Player of the Year award winner Emoni Bates of Ypsilanti Lincoln announced Monday that he committed to Michigan State. 4. Cassius Winston (2016-20): A two-time consensus second-team All-American, Winston became the Big Ten’s all-time assists leader as a senior, surpassing Mateen Cleaves. On Thursday night, the consensus top prospect in the 2022 class, Emoni Bates, who plays for Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan, had a big matchup against Mykel Bingham and Grand Rapids Catholic Central. “Last night E.J called me and said Emoni wanted me to be there,” Davis told The News on Monday, about the ESPN announcement. And while it’s possible that he will never even step on Breslin Center’s floor to play for the Spartans, the accompanying big news was that Bates will be playing his final two years of high school basketball at a prep school created by his father, E.J. Nationally Ranked High School Players (per 247) #1 Emoni Bates (YPSI Prep Academy) Class of 2022 #4 Amari Bailey (Sierra Canyon School) Class of … told The News: “I don’t get the prep school thing. Denzel Valentine (2012-16): The Lansing native enjoyed one of the best individual seasons in MSU history as a senior, averaging 19.2 points, 7.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds while earning national player of the year honors from the Associated Press, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and the NABC as well as being named Big Ten Player of the Year. The 6-foot-9 forward led the Railsplitters to a 19-3 record, averaging 32.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals. Mike Robinson (1971-74): Had Robinson been able to play as a freshman, there’s no telling where he might stand in the MSU record book. He then opted to leave Michigan State and was drafted by the Denver Rockets of the ABA. I’m big on loyalty and they’ve showed me all loyalty, so I have to show them love back.”. In case you have not heard, the No. “Everybody loves the basketball player Emoni, but I know Emoni the kid. E.J. EAST LANSING -- When freshman Emoni Bates announced last summer that he was going to attend Ypsilanti Lincoln High, he told his teammates they were going to be state champions. It was always in the back of my mind anyway that it would happen sooner or later, maybe his senior year, junior year, I really didn’t know so I’m not surprised. He averaged 16.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a senior, earning consensus All-American honors while being named the Big Ten Player of the Year. 23 was retired in December. Good defensively when focused. 1. E.J. Sunday to invite him to be on ESPN. Davis did an outstanding job with Emoni the past two years at Lincoln, then worked on moving Lincoln to the SEC Red this season so Emoni could play in one of the top divisions in the state, with Lincoln joining Ann Arbor Huron, Ann Arbor Skyline, Ann Arbor Pioneer, Ypsilanti, Saline and Temperance Bedford. Bates is committed to play college basketball for Michigan State. This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you. You’re playing 30-to-40 games, then you go to AAU season, then some guys go to USA Basketball – when do you get a break? The 6-foot-9 Ypsilanti, Mich. native is already penciled in as the top pick whenever he’s able to … Bates told The Detroit News last week that Emoni didn’t plan on reclassifying and would be a junior in the fall at Lincoln. Unfortunately, I can’t coach him anymore, but we’ll do our training and I’ll do my evaluations and give him some tips; that’s never going to change. After leading MSU to the national title game the season before, Lucas’ injury didn’t keep MSU from getting back to the Final Four, but likely ended any shot of another national title for Izzo. Charlie Bell (1997-2001): A prolific scorer coming out of Flint, Bell was part of one of the most impressive stretches in team history. Bates, who coaches Emoni in the Bates Fundamentals, will be Ypsilanti Prep Aim High’s head coach. Drew Neitzel (2004-08): In a career that began as a freshman on the 2005 Final Four team and ended as the young group led by Kalin Lucas was taking over, Neitzel filled the gap as one of the most versatile guards in the Izzo era, standing out as both a point guard and shooting guard. Has defensive versatility. 1 pick if league commissioner Adam Silver gives Bates’ 2022 class the right to immediately enter the draft. 8. 6. Emoni Bates is a 6-8, 200-pound Small Forward from Ypsilanti, MI. Emoni Bates is a 6-8, 200-pound Small Forward from Ypsilanti, MI. Michigan State has a real shot at landing the best high school basketball prospet since LeBron James. A consensus second-team All-American as a senior whose No. All rights reserved. More: Michigan State's perseverance appears to pay off with commitment of Emoni Bates, “Prep school is too much. His 273 3-pointers still rank third in program history while his 582 assists are fifth-best. Bates averaged 28.5 points and 10.2 rebounds his freshman year, joining four senior starters from an 11-10 team to not only help Lincoln win its first conference championship in 15 years, but first state title in program history. © 2020 The Detroit News, a Digital First Media Newspaper. “I kind of figured he might outgrow Lincoln and do something different. “I don’t have any control of what they were going to do. Our relationship won’t change; he’ll always be welcome in my home and I will be in his. Emoni James-Wayne Bates(born January 28, 2004) is an American basketballplayer who attends Lincoln High Schoolin Ypsilanti, Michigan. You will need to register before adding a comment. Morris Peterson (1995-2000): As Mateen Cleaves’ running mate for four seasons, a run that culminated with the 2000 national title, Peterson hardly took a back seat. Emoni Bates, a 16-year-old phenom out of Michigan, became the first high school sophomore to ever be named Gatorade’s National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. In two seasons, the Lansing native averaged 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.9 assists, including three separate games of 14 assists. Emoni Bates is a high school basketball player who stands to a tall height of 6 feet 5 inches. E.J. This time, with the game moved to Eastern Michigan … Emoni Bates, the No. Michigan State's perseverance appears to pay off with commitment of Emoni Bates. That season, Furlow averaged an MSU-best 29.4 points a game, including 31 points in Big Ten games. Your body has to rest.”. “They’ve been showing love to me since I was in the seventh grade,” Emoni said of the Spartans. A two-time Big Ten scoring champ, Robinson scored a career-high 40 points as a junior against Northwestern. Miles Bridges (2016-18): In just two seasons, Bridges managed to score 1,055 points while earning Freshman All-American honors in 2017, and following that with a sophomore season that included first-team All-Big Ten honors as well as consensus second-team All-American accolades. Analysts have called him the best high school prospect regardless of class. Not many high school basketball players can say they got the best of Emoni Bates during his two seasons at Ypsilanti Lincoln, but they’ll all have stories to tell in the future. Bates. He is a consensus five-star recruit and the number one player in the 2022 recruiting class. 1 prospect in the country for the 2022 class, committed to Michigan State basketball during a … I support him and his dreams. 1 player in the class of 2022, will make his debut for Ypsilanti Prep this week in front of a national audience. Just a high school sophomore, Emoni Bates of Lincoln (Ypsilanti, Mich.) is well on his way to becoming a household name for high school basketball fans. “They’ve been recruiting me hard since then, so I just know that they’re showing that they love me genuine and they have just been here for a long time. Bates, of Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan, this year became the first sophomore to be named the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Steve Smith (1987-91): The second-leading scorer in program history, the Detroit native helped Michigan State back to the top of the Big Ten as a junior after going a decade without a conference title. “So as long as he got the offer that he wanted and wanted to participate at and the school he actually wants to play for I’m happy.”. Emoni didn’t plan on reclassifying and would be a junior in the fall at Lincoln. The 6-foot-9 forward played the first two seasons of his high school career at Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan. For Bates, Thursday night marked his debut with Ypsi Prep Academy after he spent his first two seasons at Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he won a state title as a freshman in 2019. Further, he is a consensus five-star recruit and become the number one player in his 2022 class. Davis got a call from E.J. A career 43-percent shooter from 3-point range, Winston ranks fifth in program history with 259 made triples. 17. If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them. Green is also the program’s all-time leading rebounder (1,096) while he and Greg Kelser are the only players with more than 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. Bates, a native of Ypsilanti, Mich., is a 6-foot-8 forward ranked as the top prospect in the class of 2022. Emoni Bates, a freshman-to-be at Ypsilanti Lincoln, is regarded as one of the top ninth-grade basketball prospects in the country. Ypsilanti Lincoln head coach Jesse Davis consults with Ypsilanti Lincoln's Emoni Bates (21) during Ypsilanti Lincoln's home opener against Adrian at Lincoln High School … It's the latest honor for the Ypsilanti Lincoln standout, who is … His No. Plays with strength, though, and doesn't avoid contact. Emoni James-Wayne Bates (born January 28, 2004) is a high school basketball player who attends Ypsi Prep Academy in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He left MSU as the program’s all-time leading scorer at the time before being drafted No. A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Extremely thin but has great length for such a skilled player. It's possible the NBA’s one-and-done rule could be a thing of the past by the time Bates’ high school eligibility has run out, so he could go straight to the pros. 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