Emoni Bates burst onto the scene with a video from D Rich TV in early November. Since then the youth basketball community has been buzzing about the potential of the 6th grader with a Kevin Durant type game. At the 2016 NEO Youth Elite National Camp that kid made many into believers and whispers of him coming for the #1 spot in the class have turned into people yelling that he should be #1.
Bates had a performance that was beyond impressive. Several scouts who have been in the game for over 15 years were picking their jaws up off the floor and heaping praise on the young kid from Michigan. Bates couldn't be stopped off the dribble, hit three pointers, and blocked shots throughout the weekend. Arguably the most impressive part of his weekend was watching guards attempt to play defense on the 6'5 Bates who kept them off balance with tremendous ball handling skills.
After this weekend Emoni Bates has to be in serious consideration as the #1 player in the Class of 2022. The rising 7th grade class is full of talented players, but it's hard to argue with the potential that Emoni possesses. It will be very interesting to see Bates match up with more of the top players in the class and track the next year of development as the grassroots world watches another young star rise.
