‘Dreaming For My Whole Life’

Emoni Bates, the former No. 1 prospect in his class, has officially declared for the NBA Draft

“What I been dreaming for my whole life,” he wrote on his Instagram account Monday morning.

The deadline for underclassman to enter the draft was Sunday. Bates has not yet named an agent.

The 6-foot-10 sophomore averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds this past season at Eastern Michigan after transferring from Memphis. He’s currently projected as the 56th best available prospect, per ESPN.com, while Tankathon has him projected to go No. 53 in the June 22nd Draft.

Once upon a time, Bates was in the mix for the one of the top spots in this summer’s draft — maybe the top spot. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 15-year-old and was called “a young Kevin Durant” by ESPN and was said to “often resemble a 6’ 9” Stephen Curry” in the SI story.

But a lot has happened since then. The short version is Bates was on his second school after transferring to Eastern Michigan from Memphis, and last fall he had felony gun charges dropped after he was pulled over by police while driving someone else’s car. A gun and weed were found in the vehicle.

A source close to Bates’ camp said earlier this year they had spoken with 20 teams and his draft projection ranges from 20-45, which sounds about right.

“He will be a polarizing guy,” one NBA scout said of Bates. “I would guess someone will take a chance.”

“He’s a talented offensive player who right now is a 2nd-round pick,” a second NBA executive said. “Risky, but worth the risk.”

In January, made national news by scoring 29 straight points in the first half of Eastern Michigan’s 84-79 loss to Toledo and finished with 43 on 65% shooting while going 9-of-14 from three.

“That dude is an offensive player,” ESPN’s Seth Greenberg said on air after the game.

Bates also scored 36 in a loss to South Carolina, 30 in a loss to then-No. 22 Michigan, 29 in a loss to Florida Atlantic and 26 twice, most recently in a Jan. 7 win over Central Michigan.

“He started getting compared to Kevin Durant, and that’s hard for any young person,” Michigan coach Juwan Howard, an NBA veteran, said after the game on Nov. 11.

He added: “There’s a chance for this young man to do some special things in the game of basketball.”

For the season, Bates is averaging 20.5 points and 5.7 rebounds on 44% shooting. Eastern Michigan is 4-16 on the season.

Bates is the only college underclassman averaging 20+. Alabama freshman Brandon Miller, an All-America candidate, is averaging 19.5 and is a projected lottery pick.

A year ago, as a 17-year-old, Bates averaged 9.7 points during a turbulent season under Penny Hardaway at Memphis.

NBA scouts are still weighing Bates’ potential upside.

“I’m all over the place,” a third scout said. “Perspective is a big thing with that one. I think it’s about deciphering who the kid is compared to the background and story…if he can be salvaged … what type of kid is he? Does he value winning? Can he do things other than scoring that impact the bottom line?”

The jury is out and there’s still a few months left in this season. But for now, Bates is trending upward and has helped himself this season if he opts to enter the draft.

It will be fascinating to see where he lands in the Draft.