Emoni and Penny
And they said he couldn't coach.... Penny Hardaway is out here playing 4-D Stratego on all of our asses and Bates is the Marshal, the Miner, the Scout AND the Bomb. Next big announcement, Jalen Duren... combo 2 guard.
Good luck stopping the Memphis backcourt of Bates and Duren fools.
(Just trying to squeeze those last sweet tasty morsels out of the end of OT season)
August 26th, 2021 at 11:54 AM ^
? live together in perfect harmony ?
August 27th, 2021 at 2:41 PM ^
Good... but better if the topic would have been "Emoni and Anfernee."
August 28th, 2021 at 12:25 AM ^
1) I don't know why the Moms didn't delete this thread.
2) That it remained for me to see your perfect suggestion thread title is the only redeeming thing about this clusterfuck tirefire.
:)
August 26th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
I still don’t think he can coach. Can he recruit, yea, but coaching and recruiting are a different ball game.
Bookmarking this for when Memphis’ season falls apart in January.
August 26th, 2021 at 11:59 AM ^
but coaching and recruiting are a different ball game.
See also Will Wade
August 26th, 2021 at 1:39 PM ^
See also John Beilein.
August 26th, 2021 at 5:48 PM ^
John Beilein recruited well too, I hate this narrative. Sure, he didn't get mountains of 5*s(who does?), but he got his fair share of top 10/15 classes and was great at finding low-ranked guys that he knew he could develop into NBA players i.e. THJ, Caris Lavert, DJ WIlson, Livers, etc... Hell that 2012 class is top 3 UMBB classes all-time, behind FAB 5 and the one coach Howard just signed.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:00 PM ^
Wait, you think I'm being serious?
Bates is a 6'9 SF/Combo 'me first' i dunno... shooting big? It's all position-less basketball at this point. What he's not is a 2021 point guard in college or even-pro ball.
What is the name of the style of offense when the PG never makes one pass? I assumed the "Duren Bates" backcourt joke was the giveaway here.
But yes, bookmark away! We'll high five each other at being right.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:15 PM ^
I did think you were being serious. This post does not read like a joke, and if it is - why? Not all of us a super well read on Emoni Bates's playing style.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:38 PM ^
Ha! Ok fair enough.
Clif's notes version on Bates. 6'9 Forward type who likes to score and runs an iso-ball style that... let's just say... does it's best to highlight Bates, and ONLY Bates. Making him a college PG and expecting him to run an offense that isn't just iso or PR is crazy. That said, someone made the point that AAC isn't very good, and Bates/Duren running P&R is going to be way better than anything that conference can defend on talent alone. But the joke is Penny made him a PG.
Jalen Duren, who I said Penny was making the Combo-2, is the arguably #1 C prospect in the country. Big thick 6'10 guy, who draws comparisons to Dwight Howard, et al.
August 26th, 2021 at 2:06 PM ^
He's selfish, but he will pass. It's just when he has no other option, and he won't be breaking down any defense's. He's a perimeter ball handler, that shows no ability to penetrate and draw a help defender.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:01 PM ^
They're very pretty, Colonel. Very pretty. But can they fight?
August 26th, 2021 at 1:36 PM ^
Easy to recruit when you do like this....
August 26th, 2021 at 2:03 PM ^
If he has Bates as point guard, he still can't coach. That kid is too selfish to play the point, but the real issue is they will only be there for 2 mins. He is following the Kentucky model, and how's that worked out for them recently?
August 26th, 2021 at 2:10 PM ^
He’s been there a grand total of 3 years with a record of 63-32 with a .663 win pct. That’s pretty damn good in my eyes for a guy who never coached on this level before. If Weisman was able to play they make the tourney in ‘20 easy(COVID postponement). Didn’t have a ton of talent last year, they barely miss the tournament and go on to win the NIT. What am I missing? These grand statements are some of the same silly shit we heard when Juwan was hired! “It’s Martelli doing all the coaching for that team.” If you’re a black former player, fans and media want to discredit you from the start by insinuating that you don’t know x’s & o’s. He’s a good coach and he will be fine at Memphis.
August 26th, 2021 at 2:23 PM ^
He has never made the tournament.
Both Howard and Hardaway were unproven. People were right to question the hires because neither had collegiate coaching experience.
August 26th, 2021 at 2:54 PM ^
One of those years there was no tournament to be held. The next season he barely missed and ran the table in the NIT. What the hell does Juwan Howard have to prove? He has exceeded everyone’s expectations since he started here. He’s easily one of the best coaches in the nation. I would trust the basketball acumen of Juwan Howard or Penny Hardaway over someone like Richard Pitino.
August 26th, 2021 at 3:16 PM ^
He wasn’t proven when he took the job. (Obviously he is now) Howard had no experience in coaching in college basketball. He did have 6 seasons experience as an NBA assistant.
Pitino was HC at FIU before taking the Minnesota job. Pitino has been a college coach since 2004.
Hardaway went from being a HS coach to a HC at a high major school. Hardaway is the least proven of all three guys based on resume. Hardaway has been coach since 2015.
I have no idea how you can trust Hardaway’s acumen over Pitino’s. Dude went straight from coaching against $40,000 a year coaches to coaching against millionaire coaches. That is…unusual.
August 26th, 2021 at 3:33 PM ^
Easy…Howard & Hardaway have been playing this game at a high level since they were kids. They’ve used their talents and basketball IQ to make them long-time NBA veterans. They not only were able to process complex game plans as players, but also able to implement them in live situations on the floor. They have played, lived and experienced more basketball situations than Richard Pitino has even thought of. How would you not choose their acumen over a guy who’s claim to fame is being the son of a famous coach?
August 26th, 2021 at 3:48 PM ^
That’s not coaching, dude. If that were the case all NBA players would be excellent coaches. They aren’t. Far from it. Much more goes into coaching than implementing game plans on the floor. Coaching and playing are two different things.
Using your logic Hardaway is a better coach than Beilein, Coach K, Knight, Dean Smith, John Wooden, Pat Riley, Etc….because none of them played at the highest level.
Howard’s success as a coach is based on his ability to instruct and motivate(things players don’t do) and as a man in recognizing his own flaws and addressing them(hiring experienced college coaches to help him) , not from his playing experience, which while helpful to a certain point, isn’t as important in winning basketball games as the other things I mentioned,
August 26th, 2021 at 7:30 PM ^
Howard’s success as a coach is based on his ability to instruct and motivate(things players don’t do) and as a man in recognizing his own flaws and addressing them (hiring experienced college coaches to help him)
Maybe not intentional but your that smacks of Sparty "Martelli is the real coach" bull shit.
August 26th, 2021 at 10:28 PM ^
John Wooden was the first player ever to be named All American 3 times. It may have been the dead ball era of basketball, but still.
August 26th, 2021 at 11:58 AM ^
AAC isn't exactly murderers row, so I expect Memphis to be good, but Bates will have his hands full against veterans on any NCAA tournament team.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:02 PM ^
Should probably read that Emoni and/or his father told Penny that Emoni would be playing PG, if I had to guess.
August 26th, 2021 at 1:28 PM ^
There's plenty of reporting on this. Penny was a big PG and he sees Bates in a similar fashion.
August 26th, 2021 at 1:34 PM ^
Which is a crock of shit. Penny was just telling Bates what he wanted to hear. Not once has any analyst or any person watched Emoni and been like “that kid can and should lead an offense as the primary ball handler”
August 26th, 2021 at 1:58 PM ^
Soooo….if his current head coach sees that in him(being he did it at a high level). Who cares what anyone outside that building thinks.
August 26th, 2021 at 2:14 PM ^
Players grow their games too. When LaMelo was 16 he was considered this chucker and by the time he was drafted he was this pass first genius. Putting Bates at pg actually is worth a try since him and Duran's skill sets overlap so much.
August 26th, 2021 at 3:06 PM ^
I don't really see how their skills overlap. One is scoring, perimeter wing and the other is 4/5 big with great rebounding/passing kind of like Bam Adebayo. They're both the same height I guess, but I don't see much an overlap.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:02 PM ^
More like JNo
August 26th, 2021 at 12:04 PM ^
This won't end well for Memphis or Penny.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:06 PM ^
Haha honestly, I thought it was a very obvious hilarious joke. Who in their right mind would think a 6'9 me-first-second-and-third guy would be a good college PG?
August 26th, 2021 at 12:13 PM ^
Wasn’t very obvious and certainly wasn’t hilarious
August 26th, 2021 at 12:26 PM ^
Haha well at the risk of appearing as if I'm "going down swinging" the whole Duren as a combo-2 guard thing I thought would be a cincher. Duren being the arguable #1 C and at 6'10 draws comparisons to people like Dwight Howard.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:52 PM ^
Thought it was pretty clear you were being sarcastic from the first sentence.
August 26th, 2021 at 1:44 PM ^
Completely agree - high level of sarcasm in the OP was immediately evident.
August 26th, 2021 at 1:12 PM ^
I have no idea who Duren is, but I still thought your post was dripping with sarcasm.
August 26th, 2021 at 3:22 PM ^
Which may be obvious if you assume the vast majority of your audience knows who Duren is and his style of play. I’d wager a good portion of people either have no idea who he is or they just know he’s a high rated recruit Michigan was vaguely in on. Basketball recruiting (and basketball in general) isn’t followed nearly as much by Michigan fans I’d guess.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:07 PM ^
I kind of wish Bates did go to Staee. At some point Izzo would have melted down and actually punched him. It would have been amazing TV.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:13 PM ^
ala Woody punching the Clemson player after the interception
August 26th, 2021 at 12:10 PM ^
If I could put money on "guy hailed as the next LeBron James going at the end of the lottery after averaging 7 TOs a game as NIT-bound Memphis's PG", I would.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:13 PM ^
"Good luck stopping the Memphis backcourt of Bates and Duren fools."
Stopping them for 1, MAYBE, 2 years may not be as hard as you think.
Depends on who their teammates think are the most important; that is; do they have chemistry?
If I remember correctly, Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson et al were supposed to be spectacular too.
Let's see how it plays out.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:30 PM ^
Fairly confident that was sarcasm from OP. That being said, it's going to be an interesting experiment if Penny does allow Bates to run point.
Gonna be worth a watch for sure.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:22 PM ^
I'm sorry you church going nice people on this board. I wish nothing but the worst for Emoni and his dad at Memphis.
August 26th, 2021 at 1:30 PM ^
Dude, is 17 years old. What the fuck is wrong with you? I guessing you'll be the first to turn on our players too.
August 26th, 2021 at 1:37 PM ^
Emoni and his father have done plenty to get the criticism they’ve been receiving
August 26th, 2021 at 1:45 PM ^
Besides enjoying the recruiting limelight more than you like? Also, this is kind of like the hatred that Lonzo Ball got because his dad was a jerk. Again, kid is 17 years old. I guess you didn't do dumb shit or have an ego at that age. JFC man!
August 26th, 2021 at 2:16 PM ^
Yeah I don’t get the Bates hate. Maybe because he’s down the street and didn’t go to Michigan. I’m rooting for the kid.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:24 PM ^
This is a joke yes? Bates has some maturing to do and would need some serious game improvement to run the point.
August 26th, 2021 at 12:30 PM ^
YES! A BIG GIANT JOKE.
Somehow my joke about Penny Hardaway... a VERY TERRIBLE basketball coach... making Emoni Bates, a me-first-second-and-third 6'9 Forward, his point guard, then following that joke up by saying that Hardaway made his 6'10 Dwight Howard-sized C his 2-guard as well... seemed very obvious to me.
But apparently, I was not prepared for the fact that Emoni Bates is no laughing matter around these parts.
OR maybe Stratego is a serious game, meant for serious discussions. And 4-D Stratego, well, don't even start to go there...