Texas Basketball: 5-Star SF Emoni Bates feels Beard made an ‘impression’
The crown jewel of the 2022 recruiting cycle around the college hoops landscape is the top-rated high school prospect in the nation and the brilliant five-star Ypsi Prep Academy small forward Emoni Bates. New Texas basketball head coach Chris Beard does appear to be in contention to land Bates when it’s all said and done.
But that would mean that Beard and the Longhorns 2022 recruiting class have to keep Bates from straying to the professional route, passing on the traditional college path. Taking to that path to go professional immediately by way of the G-League or going overseas is becoming more and more common in recent years, though.
Just look at the likes of point guard LaMelo Ball, small forward Jonathan Kuminga, guard Jalen Green, and combo guard RJ Hampton, among others, in the last two years.
According to a report from 247Sports this week, Beard and the Longhorns do appear to be headed in the right direction in the pursuit of Bates. While playing in the Southern JamFest with Team Final, he opened up on his recruitment since he announced his decommitment from the Michigan State Spartans.
Where Chris Beard and Texas basketball are at in pursuit of 5-Star SF Emoni Bates?
Texas is reportedly one of four schools specifically mentioned as to those that Bates is “hearing from”. The other three include the Tennessee Volunteers, George Washington Colonials, and Memphis Tigers. But this piece did mention that Bates is hearing from many other unnamed schools that have offered him up to this point.
Here are some of the more important points about what this piece had to say on Bates’ status with the Longhorns pursuit of his commitment.
"Chris Beard and Texas were first to offer Bates after he opened things up and they are leaving an early impression on him.“Our relationship is really good, they were the first school to offer me after I decommitted from Michigan State,” said Bates. “They just called, talked to me and reached out to my family. With them I haven’t really gotten to watch them yet. I watched videos of (Kevin Durant) when he was there but not their game recently.”"
It looks like an important point to note that Beard and the Longhorns were the first to offer him after he announced his decommitment from Michigan State last month. The Texas offer came his way back on April 30.
Building this relationship is exactly what Beard and the Longhorns need to do to establish a strong foundation in the pursuit of Bates. Moving forward, Texas looks to be in a good position if Bates doesn’t take to the pro route immediately.
Texas is now one of eight schools on Bates’ offer sheet. The other notable schools on his offer sheet are the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State, Kentucky Wildcats, Memphis, and Tennessee.
3 late additions Chris Beard could get for the 2021 class. dark. Next
Bates ranks as the nation’s top-ranked 2022 high school prospect in both the 247Sports Composite and the Top247. Texas is also without a commitment in their 2022 class as of the night of May 25. And their lone commit from the 2021 class is the former Texas Tech commit and four-star John Paul II small forward Jaylon Tyson.