Bates Becomes 1st Sophomore POY
April 15, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Ypsilanti Lincoln standout Emoni Bates has been named Gatorade’s national boys basketball “Player of the Year” – becoming the first sophomore to win the national award.
Bates earlier was named the Michigan award winner for the second time. The award recognizes athletic excellence but also academic achievement and on and off-court exemplary character.
The 6-foot-9 do-everything player capably is able to man all five positions on the court, and this season averaged 33.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game while leading Lincoln to an 18-3 record before play was halted because of COVID-19. Bates has scored 1,343 points through his first two seasons of high school basketball.
Additionally, Bates carries a B average and has volunteered in local elementary school literacy campaigns and as a youth coach, as well as participating in clothing and shoe drives for community churches.
PHOTO: Ypsilanti Lincoln’s Emoni Bates dunks during the 2019 Division 1 Semifinals at Breslin Center.
Coming Sunday: Girls & Boys District Basketball Brackets
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 12, 2021
District brackets for girls and boys basketball will be drawn Sunday and posted to the MHSAA Website.
The top two teams in each District, based on their Michigan Power Rating (MPR), will be placed on opposite sides of those brackets so the earliest they may face each other will be the District Final.
Games through Saturday will be counted toward MPR, and teams must have at least eight results to be seeded. Only the top two teams receive seeds; the remaining teams in each District are placed using a predetermined order.
The MPR listings on MHSAA.com allow users to see all teams in one list, or teams by Division, or teams by District. Click to see the Girls MPR and Boys MPR lists.
District play begins March 22 for girls basketball and March 23 for boys.
PHOTO: Saginaw Arthur Hill, right, and Flint Carman-Ainsworth are among hopefuls again entering this postseason. (Photo by Terry Lyons.)