No. 1 2022 recruit Emoni Bates decommits from Michigan State

Top 2022 basketball recruiting prospect Emoni Bates decommitted from Michigan State, looking to evaluate his options in college and the pros.

The No 1. player in the class of 2022 is back on the open market.

Emoni Bates shook up the college basketball recruiting world by announcing he’s backing off his commitment to Michigan State.

Bates told Joe Tipton about his decision to decommit with an eye on “both college and pro options.”

He dropped an official statement on Instagram.

This is a major loss for Tom Izzo and the Spartan program, who landed Bates’ commitment in June of 2020. He was the only commitment for Michigan State in the class of 2022.

Bates has a reputation as an elite shooter already.

Jerry Meyer of 247Sports called him “arguably the best scorer in high school basketball.” He’s projected as a future Top 10 pick in the NBA Draft.

Emoni Bates will be a coveted prospect, but only if convinced not to go pro

If he wants to go the college route, countless programs will be after him. All the heavy hitters will be in the running.

It’ll take quite the pitch to convince Bates to delay his entry into the pro ranks. He probably has the talent to make it work.

It wouldn’t be the first time a gifted prospect decided to go the G-League route.

Michael Foster, a five-star forward in the class of 2021, is on that track. Five-star 2020 prospect Jalen Green did the same and is now in a position to be a Top 5 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The G-League was also the choice for five-star small forward Jonathan Kuminga, who could also go Top 5.

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