Future Class of 2022 hoops recruit?
Emoni Bates (of Ann Arbor Clague Junior High!) is apparently the top-ranked 7th-grade basketball player in the U.S.:
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/2017/01/26/michigans-ba…
January 27th, 2017 at 7:10 AM ^
Congratulations, Mr. Bates!
January 27th, 2017 at 8:18 AM ^
It's Master Bates
/ducks
January 27th, 2017 at 7:25 AM ^
Kid in A2 whose favorite schools are.... UK and MSU.
January 27th, 2017 at 7:27 AM ^
I really hope we dont talk about this kid for 5 years only to have him end up at either of those places. To a Michigan fan, it doesnt get any worse than msu or UK
January 27th, 2017 at 7:30 AM ^
and it's unlikely none of the current coaches at UM, MSU, or UK will be around then.
January 27th, 2017 at 7:47 AM ^
mean like we did for josh jackson... i know that there people who said that he would never end up here, but there were people that held out hope that he did...
January 27th, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
It's way too early to know if he'll even be a high-level prospect. He's hit his growth spurt early and other kids may catch up.
January 27th, 2017 at 9:41 AM ^
reminds me of the hype chris webber received as an 8th grader.
his dad looks like he could be a great coach for michigan!
January 27th, 2017 at 7:26 AM ^
Wheatley who was "only" 6'3" at the time. 6'6" is off the charts.
January 27th, 2017 at 9:09 AM ^
In AAU years ago, my cousin coached against a 12 and under team from Pontiac that had a guy who was listed at 6'6. I questioned whether or not he was 12 until I saw him try to shoot a lay up in the lay up line before the game. It took him 10 seconds to get from the wing to the basket. When he got there, he dunked the ball like Shaq. He had no coordination at all. The difference between these two kids is that kid from years ago weighed over 200 lbs.
I remember players like Shane Battier being listed at 6'8 as a freshman and John Garavaglia being listed at 6'10. This probably isn't that abnormal.
January 27th, 2017 at 10:12 AM ^
No coordination but he dunked the ball like Shaq, as a 12 year old? What?
January 28th, 2017 at 1:55 PM ^
I didn't say he did a 360. He walked up to the front of the rim and dunked with ridiculous force. He had no shot at making a lay up even at point blank range. I assume a kid that size would be able to palm a ball easily.
January 27th, 2017 at 7:39 AM ^
His midle school coach must have thought he just hit the lotto the first day he saw this kid walk into the gym.
January 27th, 2017 at 7:46 AM ^
Oh for God sakes...
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January 27th, 2017 at 7:53 AM ^
but how's his pad level?
January 27th, 2017 at 7:57 AM ^
ranks 7th graders
January 27th, 2017 at 9:08 AM ^
Jerry Sandusky
January 27th, 2017 at 9:43 AM ^
i think marcus ray noted that his son is one of the top 10 year old football players in ohio?
January 27th, 2017 at 8:10 AM ^
kid is no doubt a legit talent. That said, hard to put much stock into a 7th grader, as he's simply going to dominate at that level considering his size and skillset. Best best is to check back after his 9th grade year to measure progress.
January 27th, 2017 at 8:14 AM ^
A couple things..
6'6" in 7th grade is unbelievable. That's at least a foot taller than average
He lives in Ann Arbor buts likes MSU? Come on, Beilein, you got some catching up to do.
I hope his parents get him involved in other sports where he can expand his athleticism. Football, baseball, Track....anything to avoid "specialization" at 12 years old.
January 27th, 2017 at 8:22 AM ^
Michigan should be hardcore pursuing Romeo Weems out of New Haven (Class of 19). He is #22 in the composite rankings. I had the (dis)pleasure of of coaching against him twice already, and the kid is absolutely the real deal. Izzo was at his game the one prior to my team playing him.
January 27th, 2017 at 8:39 AM ^
Weems has already visited multiple times, and does have legit interest in Michigani. Unfortunately, Ohio State is number 1 for him at this point.
With regard to his high school production, hard to put much into it because he plays horrible competition for the most part. Will get a real test on February 10, when New Haven squares off against Detroit Cornerstone and Marquette commit Jamal Cain.
January 27th, 2017 at 9:19 AM ^
Has he watched OSU lately?
January 27th, 2017 at 10:18 AM ^
They played a good contest vs Dakota in December.
And yes, I'm coaching at East Detroit, and he had a triple double in the first half vs us. 18 pts 10 reb and 10 steals
January 27th, 2017 at 10:42 AM ^
but a bit overrated relative to pre-season expectations. That is their only competitive game of the year thus far though. That said, I love Weems' game, and think he's exactly what Michigan needs.
January 27th, 2017 at 8:55 AM ^
I grew up with both his mom and dad. Kid comes from tall genes and athleticism. His dad was really good in HS with hops and his uncle good jump out of the freakin gym...just inside the free throw line, 360 windmill type hops.
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January 27th, 2017 at 9:10 AM ^
Ant Wright was talking about this dude the other day on twitter, guess he really is the real deal. Would be a shame to let him get away.
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January 27th, 2017 at 9:25 AM ^
I made a layup once in the 7th grade
January 27th, 2017 at 9:41 AM ^
In 8th grade, I couldn't score a single point, and in one incredible moment of futility, I accidentally shot at my own basket. The next year I switched to cross country :)
January 27th, 2017 at 11:18 AM ^
hold you up to the basket?
January 27th, 2017 at 10:00 AM ^
6'6" in SEVENTH grade? Apparently, that candy-ass milk really hurts me, in retrospect, as it has taken me all of four decades to get to 5'9". I probably have to re-evaluate my steps and find out where I strayed now.
January 27th, 2017 at 11:16 AM ^
It's hard to tell how good he is from the tape--looks like he's playing against a bunch of 7th graders.
January 27th, 2017 at 11:19 AM ^
or Antoine the Judge Joubert?
January 27th, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
Is he athletic? If so, we're not interested.
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January 28th, 2017 at 2:48 PM ^
Six Foot Six Inches in Seventh Grade? I was Five Foot One 95 lbs as a Freshman in High School in Flint. As a High School Freshman, I qualified for the smallest Middle School Mott Football weight division. However, I could dunk like Shaq. Since every shot Freshman year Was rejected, and I didn't like the taste of leather basketballs, I retired and pursued a Quiz Bowl career. (I can relate to overmatched little boys in the video)