Memphis transfer Emoni Bates includes Michigan in top 6 list

One of the most highly touted recruits to ever come out of the state of Michigan could be returning to his home state.

Emoni Bates announced on Instagram Monday night that he has narrowed his list down to six schools, and the University of Michigan is one of them. Eastern Michigan, Arkansas, Seton Hall, DePaul and Louisville round out his top six.

“I’ve been knowing Juwan since I was in the eighth or ninth grade,” Bates told Joe Tipton of On3. “That’s when I really met him. He’s always been a cool person. He’s cool with some of my family on my dad’s side. I’ve been knowing of him since he won the championship in Miami. Just watching him play at Michigan, go on to the NBA, it was special.”

Missing a good portion of the season with a reported back injury, Bates started in 13 of the 18 games he appeared in, averaging 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 23.4 minutes per game, while shooting 38.6% from the field, 32.9% percent from three and 64.6% from the field.

While those stats don’t jump off the page, Bates’ game speaks for itself. He was long considered the top recruit in the 2022 class before reclassifying into the 2021 class.

A five-star recruit in that class, Bates was the 5th-ranked recruit on the 247 composite, behind a few names you might have heard of (Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Shaedon Sharpe and Jaden Hardy).

While it feels nice for the Michigan Wolverines to be included on the list, it doesn’t seem likely that the Wolverines will land Bates. Matt Norlander, one of the most plugged-in writers in the sport, said in a tweet that Michigan isn’t actively pursuing him.

Whether he likes it or not, everything Bates does appears to become a story these days. Let us know in the comments whether you’d like Bates to come to Ann Arbor.