Texas Basketball: Predicting next transfer addition after Jabari Rice

Emoni Bates, SF

Maybe the craziest name to show up in the transfer portal so far this offseason is the former No. 1 rated recruit in the nation and the insanely talented freshman Memphis forward Emoni Bates. Memphis was not expected to lose Bates to the portal this offseason after showing a lot of flashes during his true freshman campaign.

With Bates on the open market, there are some past connections that the Texas coaching staff could revive to make their pitch to the former elite five-star recruit.

Texas was pretty heavily involved in the recruitment of Bates out of Ypsi Prep Academy during the 2021 cycle. Beard and the Longhorns were clearly making some headway with Bates after he de-committed from the Michigan State Spartans last offseason. But that momentum obviously died out when he would eventually commit and sign with head coach Penny Hardaway and Memphis.

Nonetheless, though, Texas figures to be one of the players in the recruitment of Bates out of the portal depending on how Beard and his staff evaluate his value to this team at this point. Texas could use the injection of forward depth and talent that Bates could bring to the table immediately out of the portal.

A recent piece from 247Sports mentions Texas as one of the multiple schools that sit among the “best fits” for Bates out of the portal this offseason. There are multiple reasons why Texas makes sense as a potential landing spot for Bates. He would have the chance to prove to the staff that he could be an immediate starter. And he’s familiar with the schemes that Beard and his staff utilize as he was in close communication with them during his recruitment out of high school.

Definitely don’t discount Texas’ chances in the Bates sweepstakes.