Memphis Forward Emoni Bates Announces Plans to Enter Transfer Portal

The former five-star recruit has spent one season with the Tigers and played in 18 games.

The transfer portal just got another big name as Memphis forward Emoni Bates announced Saturday his plans to enter the portal.

“I’d like to thank Coach Penny, my teammates, and the entire coaching staff at the University of Memphis for giving me the opportunity to be a Tiger. Thank you Tiger Nation for embracing me and all of you who supported our team throughout this season. With that being said, I have decided to enter the transfer portal,” Bates said on Instagram.

Bates has had a very eventful few years in college basketball. He was originally committed to Michigan State as the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, but chose to decommit and reclassify to enter college a year early. As 247Sports’ No. 5 recruit in 2021, Bates chose to attend Memphis last year at just 17 years old.

Bates’s freshman season as a Tiger was inconsistent. He averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in just 18 games played during the year. However, a back injury ended his regular season after January 27 just as Memphis finished the year strong.

Though he did return for both of Memphis’s NCAA tournament games, he totaled just 15 minutes and scored eight points in those games combined.

With Bates potentially leaving the program, and freshman center Jalen Duren likely to enter the NBA draft, Memphis will have only gotten one season out of each of their top ten recruits last year.