Page 49 - Sports Illustrated KIDS Magazine (January - February 2020)
P. 49
FROM THE PAGES OF
E M O N I B AT E S
He is Spider-Man: Something bit him at a young age, stretched his limbs and turned him
into an angry, SUPERNATURAL HOOPS phenomenon.
Middle School basketball season. He was too good for it. His
mom says, “It wasn’t even fair. He was dunking on everyone.
It wasn’t challenging enough for him.”
Bates could play three more years at Lincoln, play all his
senior-year games at EMU and then go pro. He could sign
with Nike in a year, end his high school playing career and
wait for the 2022 draft. And there is a real chance that he
reclassifies, finishes high school in three years, plays one year
of college ball and then becomes the No. 1 pick in the draft.
BASKETBALL AT THE highest level
p
f if t h eriod is not just a game. It is a form of self-
Art expression. Personalities are revealed
through creative passes, ferocious drives
or fear of the big shot. Michael Jordan
NONE ND ONE wanted to rule the world. LeBron James wants his buddies
A
D
Bates (far right) celebrated Lincoln’s 64–62 state involved, but he wants to be in control. Tim Duncan played
championship victory over University of Detroit Jesuit High like Tim Duncan.
last March at Michigan State’s Breslin Center—which might Thanks to modern technology, Emoni Bates can easily
be the closest he comes to playing big-time college ball.
study basketball art history. He admires elements from
each of the greats. Kobe? “Relentless.” Durant? “Scoring
machine.” Steph Curry? “Using screens.” For all the Durant
swimming lessons. The first time he put on ice skates, at a comparisons, Bates often resembles a 6' 9" Curry: exceptional
birthday party when he was nine, he just stepped on the ice deep range, superquick dribble.
and took off. He never lost his balance. Every Emoni game features a few distinctive brushstrokes
to make hoops aficionados swoon. When he dribbles at the top
“I DON’T LIKE HISTORY,” he of the key, the ball rarely goes above his knees. His crossover
f our t h eriod says. “It’s boring. It’s long, too.” is obscene. During one Lincoln game last year, he missed a
p
History O.K. But just a drop, please: three-pointer, grabbed the rebound and threw it down. An-
Shaquille O’Neal played three
other time, he bobbled an alley-oop, hung on the rim with his
years of college ball. Tim Dun- right hand, caught the ball with his left, and lobbed it in for a
can played four. James didn’t play any. These days, the best swish. It was preposterous. It was also obvious goaltending.
players are, of course, collegiate one-and-dones. And Bates The great ones draw outside the lines.
is widely expected to be the poster man-child of the next era. anymore; when he lifts his right knee, reaches up and drops SPORTS ILLUSTRATED •
He is learning a skyhook, which not even slow centers use
COURTESY OF MHSAA/JOHN CASTINE/HOCKEY WEEKLY ACTION world who can shoot as well as he does. Most of the ones Abdul-Jabbar his whole life. ¬ NOVEMBER 4, 2019
There are good reasons for this. Everything Bates does is
the ball in the bucket, he looks as if he has watched Kareem
projectable. There just aren’t that many 6' 9" players in the
who can don’t have his athleticism.
Emoni’s two favorite parts of basketball are scoring and
This is why most college coaches have not bothered to
scoring a lot. He did a 360-degree dunk recently, and he is
call. Duke, the era’s dominant recruiting power, has barely
working on a windmill, but most of his jams are angry. He
lives to bury threes in defenders’ faces. He says he does not
shown interest. Emoni understands the reasoning, but he is
still miffed. He says, “I never said nothing about me going
love playing defense, but he is so long, athletic and competi-
tive that he will probably become great at it. His goal this
to college for a year or going straight to the NBA.”
Maybe the coaches are right. But here is some more history:
year is to be a better teammate. Enjoy the show, Ypsilanti.
47
It won’t be yours for long.
When Emoni was in eighth grade, he skipped the Clague
