The last transfer domino falls

College hoops rosters move closer and closer to finalization with Emoni Bates’ decision, an NEC school makes a coaching change, and more

June 30, 2022

This last week of June has brought us plenty of headlines on the college basketball recruiting front and even on the coaching carousel. Most notably, former top-10 recruit Emoni Bates landed on his new destination after spending several months in the transfer portal. That’s where we’ll start.

Let’s get to the news.

THREE POINTERS

1. Emoni to Michigan (the Eastern version).

Emoni Bates, a player who once graced the cover of Sports Illustrated at 15 years old, announced his intent Wednesday to transfer to Eastern Michigan.

Returning home appeared to play a pivotal role in the decision, as the former Memphis Tiger said this to On3 in May:

“People probably look at me crazy because I’m considering Eastern. But if I went there, I would be like the neighborhood hero. I used to play at Eastern during my high school games when I was at Lincoln, and we used to pack it out every time. That would be crazy for me to be able to bring love to the city.”

Just 17 years old at the start of the 2021-22 season, Bates struggled to adapt to the college game. His average of 9.7 points and sub-40 field goal percentage looked underwhelming compared to preseason expectations. Moreover, Penny Hardaway’s plan to run him at the point never materialized; that idea fell by the wayside after Memphis dropped games to Iowa State, Georgia, Ole Miss and Murray State.

These issues are nothing out of the ordinary for re-class freshmen, even the most highly-touted ones. Thus, there are some real positives here for Bates — he can return home, be closer to family and hopefully revive his draft stock.

If Bates hits, Eastern Michigan will deploy a lethal scoring duo on the perimeter with him and Noah Farrakhan (16.2 points). Add in Jalin Billingsly (Georgetown) and Legend Geeter (Providence), and the program has some juice for the first time in about a decade.

Nevertheless, the Eagles still might not be a top-4 MAC squad. It’s Kent State’s league to lose, as they return Sincere Carry and Malique Jacobs. Akron and Toledo will be in the mix too. Regardless, Bates should improve the Eagles’ dreadful offensive efficiency (330th nationally last season, per KenPom). Surely, part of the allure of Eastern Michigan was more offensive freedom than others schools would’ve given him. That’s why I don’t see him averaging less than 16 points — Bates might get 20 shots off a night. But here’s the big question: does an inefficient scoring output get him back on NBA radars?

If he does salvage his draft stock, he could give the MAC its third player drafted in the past three years. Jason Preston (Ohio) and Ryan Rollins (Toledo) are the other two.

2. Long Island makes a coaching change

Long Island fired Derek Kellogg, who went 74-74 in five seasons and made just one NCAA Tournament appearance (back in 2016-17).

The timing here is strange, to put it lightly. Many teams have finished recruiting, and the portal gets more and more depleted by the day.

The Sharks already lost Ty Flowers and Eral Penn, two high-level players during Kellogg’s tenure, and the late offseason coaching change could further negatively affect the roster. Plus, the move doesn’t look good, as newcomers who signed up to be coached by Kellogg now won’t play for him.

Regarding Strickland, before taking the G-League Ignite gig, he spent three years on Orlando Antigua’s staff at South Florida before the head coach’s dismissal in 2017.

3. Hansel Enmanuel chops list to four

Hansel Enmanuel, a one-armed high-school sensation, narrowed his list to Bethune-Cookman, Northwestern State, Memphis and Overtime Elite.

We’ve seen Shaquem Griffin in the NFL and Jim Abbott (who once threw a no-hitter) in the MLB overcome the odds as one-armed athletes in their respective sports. The 6-5 wing would become the first one-armed scholarship D1 basketball player if he spurns Overtime Elite and chooses one of the three schools.

Two weeks ago, Gatorade unveiled an ad titled “Want from Within,” featuring Enmanuel. It certainly will not be the last big company to partner with him. The rising high school senior has 1.4 million Instagram followers at the time of writing.

KENNY PAYNE’S PATH FORWARD

Can Louisville land 2023’s top guard DJ Wagner?

Combo guard DJ Wagner, a consensus top-2 prospect in the class of 2023, has family ties to both Louisville and Kentucky. John Calipari coached his father Dajuan Wagner at Memphis in 2002, while Kenny Payne brought his grandfather Milt Wagner on staff this summer.

In the video below, Jeff Greer and Rivals’ Travis Graf share why they think Wagner ends up on the Cards.

ICYMI

Nonstop transfer news

Noah Waterman to BYU!

Mark Pope had to replace several valuable players this offseason, like Te’Jon Lucas, Caleb Lohner, and most importantly, All-WCC lead guard Alex Barcello. The Cougars already secured commitments from Rudi Williams (Coastal Carolina) and Jaxson Robinson (Arkansas). Now, Waterman (Detroit Mercy) is the most recent addition. The 6-11 forward brings needed floor spacing, as he shot 44 percent from deep in two years in the Horizon League.

Meanwhile, Kansas State added former Stony Brook wing Tykei Greene (14.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and a much-improved 40 percent from 3 last season). Things looked murky for Jerome Tang’s first season, as Nijel Pack bolted for Miami, and Mike McGuirl and Mark Smith graduated. So Greene’s commitment comes as a welcome addition, though the talent of K-State’s roster still leaves a bit to be desired.

THE FAST BREAK

Links as you slowly countdown the days until preseason exhibitions start:

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