Michigan State Lands No. 1 Recruit Emoni Bates In The Class Of 2022

Top high school prospect Emoni Bates has officially committed to Michigan State. The No. 1 recruit in the class of 2022 will join Coach Izzo and the Spartans in East Lansing. Many regard Bates as the best college basketball prospect of the past decade, but I’ll leave it to you to decide.

Michigan State was the only program to keep Bate’s attention throughout the duration of the recruitment process. He ultimately selected Michigan State over some very notable programs: Duke, Kentucky and in-state rival Michigan. The popular belief was that Bates would not suit up in a college uniform and make the jump straight to the NBA. That is still a possibility but would likely require the NCAA to make some rule changes. Barring the high school phenom electing to reclassify his commitment, this is an enormous win for Izzo and the Spartans.

Bates noted that he has had a long-lasting relationship with Michigan State and Hall of Fame coach, Tom Izzo. “They get all my respect,” he said on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “I love how they coach, coach Izzo, I like how they focus on defense more than offense. On and off the court, he has passion. He’s just an amazing guy overall.” I don’t blame Bates for choosing Izzo over Calipari or even Krzyzewski. Izzo is a hard guy not to like, even for Michigan fans. Surprisingly, Izzo was reportedly the only coach to directly contact Bates when the recruiting communication period opened for the class of 2022.

The 6-foot-8 forward is a Michigan native and is the highest-rated commitment for Michigan State basketball in program history. Bates is only the third five-star recruit to choose Sparty since 2016, accompanied by Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. He was named Michigan AP Division I Player of the Year and Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year for a second straight season. Bates averaged 32.3 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals per game in his second season, so his accolades are well deserved. With the commitment of Bates, it doesn’t seem like the Spartans will be falling off the radar any time in the foreseeable future.

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