6/5/2023 0 Comments Emoni batesHe instantly rises the stature of Eastern basketball, gets them a few more games off of ESPN+ and hopefully helps put them back into the NCAA tournament field for the first time since 1998, before turning pro. It is almost assured to be a one-year deal, with the expectation being that Emoni Bates comes in and plays well. It is an afternoon in June and you, like ESPN are caring about EMU basketball. There is no downside to this deal for Eastern Michigan. It’s fair to wonder if the schedule will get that much tougher now that he is in the Mid-American Conference? He had 15 or more points in each of his first three games before the schedule got tougher and injuries sidelined him. If Eastern Michigan were to add a Power Five transfer with that stat line, they would have been excited already, but when that player is a local product who has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated? They’d have to be over the moon. Bates averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds as an 18 year-old playing division one basketball, when he should have still been playing as a Senior in high school. He originally committed to Michigan State as the number one national recruit in the 2022 class but then reclassified to the class of 2021 and flipped to Memphis to play for Penny Hardaway. When he finally did make the move from public school to a prep academy his dad help founded “Ypsi Prep Academy”, keeping them within the area. He stayed at his public school when most top hoops prospects moved away for prep basketball factories, like Oak Hill Academy, IMG Academy or one of countless others. His appearances drew large crowds, which forced school officials to remove the tarps from the upper-level seats. While playing at Lincoln, his games were often at the then Convocation Center, located on EMU’s West campus. The cover read, “Born for this”, and it is likely that they didn't mean born to play for EMU. When at the age of 15, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated he was still playing for his public school, Ypsilanti Lincoln. For a school which has struggled with its branding, this coverage is invaluable.Įmoni Bates is an Ypsilanti native, he is Ypsi born and breed. ESPN, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and many more covered the news and even tweeted photoshopped pictures of Bates in an Eastern uniform. Except this week, when Emoni Bates announced that he is coming…no, staying home. Much too often, news outlets only want to talk about Eastern Michigan when something goes wrong.Ī brief online search for Eastern Michigan University generally reveals some unsavory articles on sexual assaults, budgets, sports cuts, and racial turmoil. Despite GameAbove’s efforts and the recent renovations on campus, EMU students aren’t used to the nicest things in the world. Many of the students drive into campus from home, and their homes are located pretty much everywhere as the school boosts a diverse student body. Eastern Michigan University is no different in that respect. Its charm is now built on history and grit. Ypsilanti is no longer used to the nicest things in life. Outsiders love to point to Ypsi’s crime rate compared to the rest of Washtenaw County but they haven’t seen the sunset looking from Depot Town towards the iconic Ypsilanti water tower. It is often referred to in jest as Ann Arbor’s affordable housing district, as it is a blue-collar town which, like any rust belt blue collar community, has had its share of troubles, tucked next to one of the highest cost of living college communities in the United States. Eastern students are used to being overlooked by those students from the University of Michigan, which sits just six miles away. People aren’t born already in love with Eastern Michigan University or the city of Ypsilanti.īoth are an acquired taste that comes from knowing their quirks and appreciating the struggle.
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