Yesterday, Emoni Bates, the top high school basketball prospect in the country, made a lot of Michigan State Basketball fans extremely happy after he announced his commitment to the Spartans. Pessimists immediately chimed in, saying that Bates would never play for the Spartans and would instead end up going the pro route. While that’s not outside the realm of possibility, there is actually a very clear path to Emoni playing two years for MSU. Here is how:
- Emoni and his father Elgin Bates have heavily indicated that there is a possibility for Bates to forego his senior season and reclassify to the 2021 recruiting class, where he would join Pierre Brooks II.
- As of right now, you have to be 19 to enter the NBA draft. There was a lot of speculation, much of it around Bates, that the NBA would lower that age requirement to 18, but those talks seem to have stalled. If the rule isn’t changed, Bates wouldn’t be eligible for the NBA Draft until 2023, which would give him two full years at MSU before being draft-eligible.
- If Bates does reclassify, he wouldn’t be eligible for the NBA’s G League until 2022, so he would have one season at Michigan State. If he does stay at his new Ypsi Prep School until 2022, he could be swayed to join the G League, but if the NCAA allows players to make money off their name and likeness, he could make millions from endorsement deals while still attending MSU. Michigan’s House of Representatives approved a plan to allow college athletes to earn compensation from their likness, it just needs to be passed in the Michigan Senate.
