Emoni Bates leaving Memphis to enter transfer portal

Memphis forward Emoni Bates, a true freshman and former No. 1 overall recruit coming out of high school, announced Saturday his plans to enter the transfer portal.

Bates announced his decision on Instagram.

"I'd like to thank Coach Penny [Hardaway], my teammates and the entire coaching staff at the University of Memphis for giving me the opportunity to be a Tiger," Bates wrote on Instagram. "Thank you Tiger Nation for embracing me and all of you who supported our team throughout this season. With that being said, I have decided to enter the transfer portal. Thank you!"

Bates, 18, was originally committed to Michigan State as the top recruit in the 2022 class, but chose to decommit and reclassify to enter college a year early at just 17 years old. He was listed as the No. 5-ranked prospect in the 2021 class, according to 247Sports.

Bates averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game on 38.6% shooting — including 32.9% from distance — in just 18 games played during his freshman year before a back injury in late January caused him to miss six weeks and ended his regular season early.

He returned for both of Memphis’ NCAA Tournament games, where he totaled a mere 15 minutes and eight points in those two games.

With Bates leaving and fellow freshman standout Jalen Duren likely to enter the 2022 NBA Draft, Memphis will have only gotten one season out of each of their top-ten recruits this past year.

The transfer portal has become a prominent element of college basketball, essentially serving as a free agency hub for the sport. As it stands, student-athletes are able to transfer and, in a majority of cases, able to play immediately heading into the following season. 

As of today, there are over 1,000 student-atheles in the portal.