Emoni Bates may be the best 13-year-old basketball player in America. One of his highlight reels on YouTube has been viewed nearly 1 million times.
“I don’t really pay attention to it,” Emoni insists, “I just want to play basketball.”
Emoni’s father, E.J. Bates, knows colleges, shoe companies, and others are lurking. So he and wife Edith keep their inner circle tight.
“I’m his coach to keep the snakes away,” E.J. says. “We’re not for sale.”
The Bates family did agree to provide The Associated Press with a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the life of one of the most coveted basketball prospects in the country. A five-year series will include video, photos, audio, and text updates to track his progress.
Last summer’s highlight reel had almost 1 million views before Emoni walked into the doors at Clague Middle School for the first time as an eighth-grader. Several other videos have racked up 500,000-plus views in less than a year.
People are already talking about where he’ll attend high school . . . and college.
E.J. and Edith realize that’s still a long way off. They know it’s easy to forget that Emoni is still just 13.
Yet fans of two college basketball powers with the inside track can already start thinking about the fall of 2021. That’s when Emoni can officially sign a scholarship offer.
Asked about his favorite programs, Emoni quickly names his front-runners: “Michigan State and Kentucky.”
E.J. is more cautious, “You never know what can happen with injuries, the loss of motivation, or pressure getting to be too much.”
What do you think about the pressure surrounding young athletes?
(AP Photo: Emoni Bates, center right, warms up with teammates.)
