Could Texas basketball land former top 5-Star recruit Emoni Bates?

Among the bigger names to surface in the NCAA Transfer Portal that could be a target of head coach Chris Beard and the Texas basketball program early this offseason is a former elite five-star recruit that this staff pushed hard for on the trail. The now-former freshman Memphis Tigers forward and the ex-No. 1 rated recruit in the nation Emoni Bates announced on April 16 that he will be entering the transfer portal.

Bates took to his Instagram page on the afternoon of April 16 to announce he will be officially entering the transfer portal. And he spent just one season at Memphis under head coach Penny Hardaway before putting his name in the transfer portal early this offseason.

This comes as a bit of a surprise despite the fact that Bates did see his playing time steadily decline down the stretch last season. But that did come largely due to a back injury he suffered last season.

Texas basketball interested in former 5-Star recruit and Memphis F Emoni Bates?

Moreover, one of the potential landing spots that is being mentioned in connection with Bates since entering the portal this weekend is Texas. Since Beard and the Longhorns were one of the suitors making a big push to land the commitment of Bates during his recruitment, there is a valid connection here.

A recent piece from 247Sports notes that Texas could be one of the landing spots to watch for Bates out of the portal this spring. Some of the other potential landing spots mentioned for Bates in this piece that are worth noting are the Kentucky Wildcats, Michigan Wolverines, Tennessee Volunteers, and Baylor Bears, among a few others.

Most of the schools that are being talked about among those that could pursue Bates offered him out of high school. That is the case for all the aforementioned schools that could be good landing spots for him in the 247Sports piece.

Bates would be an interesting fit with the Longhorns, though. Texas could definitely use the added depth at the three and/or the four heading into next season. He could also be a solid long-term impact player that has a very high ceiling.

There was a point in time when Bates was the consensus No. 1 rated recruit in the entire country. He wound up finishing up the 2021 recruiting cycle as the nation’s No. 5 high school prospect. But that is still a very lofty ranking that was higher than any of the signees for Beard and the Longhorns in the past calendar year.

During his true freshman campaign with the Tigers, Bates showed flashes but wasn’t very efficient on a consistent basis. He averaged around 10 points per game, three rebounds, one assist, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks. And Bates shot around 39 percent from the field, 33 percent from beyond the arc, and 66 percent from the free-throw line.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 22-12 (10-8 Big 12) following their Round of 32 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers a few weeks ago. That was the first win for the Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament since 2014, though.