Emoni Bates is a Memphis Tiger. My heart beats faster as I type those six words. (I kinda like the rush so here we go again: Emoni Bates is a Memphis Tiger.) When the much-anticipated news broke Wednesday, like every other human attached to University of Memphis basketball, I found myself ready to skip a couple of months of football season. Remember when that was natural in these parts?
But here’s the thing. Emoni Bates isn’t a Memphis Tiger yet. Penny Hardaway’s power-packed roster — as currently constituted — will suit up for the first time on October 24th, an exhibition against LeMoyne-Owen at FedExForum. (The team’s regular-season opener is November 9th, when Tennessee Tech comes to town.) That’s two months, and two months as measured by Memphis Tiger basketball is precisely as long as it sounds to your average 17-year-old.
Look above at the cover from our 2019-20 preview. Precious Achiuwa’s smile is bright, but James Wiseman’s is brighter. That season held more hope in these parts than any since the 2007-08 Final Four campaign, and it lasted all of three games — two of them extremely awkward — before Wiseman was a former Tiger. As we — yes, I’m guilty — hyperventilate over the possibilities Emoni Bates and his fellow five-star, Jalen Duren, might bring Hardaway’s Tigers, I’ll offer a suggestion of deep breaths and patience, for the shinier the jewel (the brighter the smile?), the easier it is to tarnish.
Keep in mind that Bates is a star among young basketball stars. He’s different, next level. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated (in 2019) before he could legally drive a car. “Born For This” said that cover. He was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2020 as a high school sophomore.
Bates has been in demand from coast to coast for two years and, had he not “reclassified” (college basketball’s latest structure-shaking buzzword), would be entering his senior year of high school. He won’t turn 18 until January 28, 2022 . . . meaning he’s not eligible for the NBA draft until 2023 (the year he turns 19). Emoni Bates will be a Memphis Tiger for two years. My heart beats faster when I type those words, too, but in part because I’m laughing. Just as water finds its level, basketball prodigies find their earning value.
Maybe that earning value starts here in Memphis. With players now able to capitalize monetarily on their “NIL” (name/image/likeness), Bates has certainly lined up a revenue stream or two. There are companies — here in Memphis and in other time zones — that would love to attach themselves to a rising star like Bates while he’s still affordable. If he shines for those companies by leading the Tigers back to the Final Four — while juggling a freshman course load — salute to all parties. That’s a college basketball story I’d like to write.
It seems quaint to remember the tale of Tiger great Keith Lee and the shoebox of cash he described receiving to play for Dana Kirk at Memphis State University. (He said it was “between a size seven-and-a-half and a nine.”) Memphis Tiger basketball has had as many notorious downs as it has glorious ups. As Penny Hardaway’s fourth season atop the program nears, it sure feels like “ups” are on their way back. But I’m taking one of those deep breaths with the Emoni Bates arrival. Even as I count the days to November 9th.
