The father of Emoni Bates shot down a report on Tuesday regarding his son’s future with Memphis.
Bates is in his freshman season with the Tigers after reclassifying into the 2021-2022 class. The highly-touted recruit has averaged 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 16 contests this season. His season, along with Memphis’ has been a disappointment, and led to some tense moments.
Things seemed to be getting even wilder for Memphis when a report from Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer on Tuesday said Bates would not be playing against Cincinnati on Thursday and that the forward’s future with the program was in question.
Sources: Emoni Bates will not play in Memphis' game at Cincinnati on Thursday, as his future with the program has suddenly come into question. Bates has been projected as a 2023 NBA Draft prospect and had previous contact with OTE and overseas opportunities.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 2, 2022
Bates’ father Elgin shot down the report. He said that Emoni has been dealing with back pain and is going to see a specialist.
Emoni Bates’ father tells ESPN that Emoni “absolutely” plans to get back on the court when healthy.
Elgin Bates: “He has an appointment to see a specialist back home about his back. He’s been having pain the past three weeks and we’re going to figure out what’s going on.”
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 2, 2022
Memphis is 11-8 this season. The Tigers and Hardaway have been criticized for failing to live up to the preseason hype that surrounded the program.
