Emoni Bates

Entering his sophomore season, Bates appeared on the cover of the November 4, 2019 issue of Sports Illustrated. In his season debut, he scored 24 points but was held to 6-of-21 shooting in a loss to River Rouge High School. On January 17, 2020, Bates scored 40 points in a 67–38 victory over Dexter High School. He tallied 42 points on January 27 in an 83–56 win over Jackson High School. During the game, Bates wore a No. 24 jersey to honor his childhood idol, Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in the previous day. On February 18, he established new career-high of 63 points and 21 rebounds in a 108–102 double overtime victory over Chelsea High School. Three days later, Bates recorded 40 points and 12 rebounds in a 67–60 overtime win over Ypsilanti Community High School. On March 5, he had 48 points and 13 rebounds to lead his team past Catholic Central High School. On March 9, during a win over Pioneer High School in the first round of the state playoffs, Bates was involved in a skirmish that resulted in a double technical foul and the ejection of an opposing player. Bates was unable to help Lincoln defend its Division 1 state title after the MHSAA suspended winter postseason tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was named Gatorade National Player of the Year, becoming the first sophomore to win the award.

Bates enrolled at Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan, being drawn there because the head basketball coach, Jesse Davis, was a longtime teammate and friend of Bates' father. On November 26, 2018, Bates made his freshman season debut, recording 32 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Ann Arbor Huron at the Ypsilanti Tip-Off Classic. On January 18, 2019, he scored a then career-high 43 points, shooting 13-of-27 from the field, in a victory over Ypsilanti Community High School. Bates, on February 5, was ejected and suspended one game for his role in an altercation during a game versus Dexter High School. On February 18, he posted 36 points and 19 rebounds against Jackson High School to capture the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Southeastern Conference White division title.

Bates first surfaced on the national radar in early 2016, after averaging 28 points and 12 rebounds per game for the Toledo Wildcats AAU team at a tournament in Chicago. He grew from 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) to 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) from sixth to seventh grade. Bates played basketball for Clague Middle School, where as a seventh-grader, he was rated the number one player in the 2022 class by recruiting website Future150. He averaged 46 points per game in seventh grade and sat out his eighth grade season to train individually. In the summer of 2018, Bates averaged 17 points per game facing older competition at the 15U division of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL), a notable summer circuit.

On March 7, he led all scorers with 36 points and made the game-winning shot in an 81–79 victory over Detroit Catholic Central High School, as Lincoln claimed its first regional championship. Nine days later, Bates guided Lincoln to its first MHSAA Division 1 state title after scoring 23 points in a win over top-seeded University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy. He finished the season averaging 28.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, helping his team to a 23–4 record. Bates was named Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year and MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year. He also earned Associated Press MHSAA Division 1 Player of the Year and All-State first team honors. Mick McCabe of the Detroit Free Press labeled Bates as the "best freshman to ever play in Michigan," while Evan Daniels of 247Sports mentioned him as possibly the best high school prospect since LeBron James.

Emoni James-Wayne Bates (born January 28, 2004) is an American basketball player who attends Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan. A small forward, he stands 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) and weighs 205 pounds (93 kg). He is a five-star recruit and the number one player in the 2022 recruiting class. Analysts have called him the best high school prospect regardless of class.