Emoni Bates decommits from Michigan State basketball, open to pro options
Emoni Bates no longer is committed to Michigan State basketball.
The No. 1 player in the 2022 class posted on Instagram late Friday afternoon he plans to reopen his recruitment.
"I would like to thank Tom Izzo and the coaching staff at Michigan State but I have decided to reopen my recruitment," Bates wrote. "I'm not sure what my future holds but I am keeping all of my options open, both college and pro."
Considered by many to be a future No. 1 NBA draft pick, Bates left Ypsilanti Lincoln after becoming the first sophomore to win Gatorade national player of the year last year to join his father Elgin's newly created Ypsi Prep team this winter for his junior season.
It is unclear if the 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward plans to reclassify into the 2021 class.
Under current rules, the 17-year-old Bates (born Jan. 28, 2004) is not eligible for the NBA draft until 2023 after he turns 19. Bates also would not meet the G League’s current minimum age requirement of 18 for the 2021-22 season, and would not be eligible for the NBA’s development system draft until the 2022-23 season.
That leaves Izzo without a commitment for 2022. The Spartans lost center Enoch Boakye, who reclassified into the 2021 class and signed with Arizona State. Boakye was the No. 1 player in Canada for the 2022 class.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Emoni Bates decommits from Michigan State basketball, open to pros
