Michigan Basketball: Latest on transfers including Emoni Bates

Here’s the latest info floating around about Michigan basketball’s transfer interests, which reportedly includes Emoni Bates.

You wondered when Emoni Bates’ name hit the transfer portal recently if Michigan basketball would show any interest.

The Wolverines only showed lukewarm interest during the recruitment of the former five-star prospect that was rated as the top player in his class at one time.

Bates committed to Tom Izzo and Michigan State before de-committing and eventually ending up at Memphis with a bunch of other highly-touted recruits.

Things didn’t work out as planned and Bates didn’t play as well as expected. He reclassified which is one reason. His game needs more refinement but the talent is undeniable and plenty of teams are showing interest, including Michigan according to a report from Joe Tipton.

Kansas, Illinois, and a number of other schools are in the mix according to what Tipton has been told. Michigan State isn’t one of them and even though Michigan appears as a team that has made contact, I don’t see the Wolverines as a truly viable option.

Bates is a 6-foot-7 forward who averaged just over nine points a game last season and shot 38 percent from the field, as well as 32 percent from 3-point range.

Can those numbers improve? Yes. And would Juwan Howard and the Michigan staff aid in Bates’ development? Surely.

But his recruitment was all over the place and it’s clear his top priority is playing pro basketball. That’s fine but it just doesn’t feel like a good fit. The Wolverines need a guard who can defend and shoot. That’s not Bates.

If Moussa Diabate and/or Caleb Houstan leave, then it could be a different story. Otherwise, I wouldn’t take the Bates stuff too seriously. Seems just like due diligence to me.

Terrence Shannon to Michigan up in the air

The Wolverines could really use a 6-foot-6 guard like Terrence Shannon. He can shoot, defend, and really, he’s the perfect option in the transfer portal. Some reports have even said that Michigan basketball leads.

However, a new report from Eric Bossi of 247 sports makes his final destination seem far from certain. Here’s the latest:

"“Exactly what is going down has been a subject of debate but for a while, it looked like Shannon was likely to end up at Michigan with Illinois and Kentucky as others thought to be in the mix. Something has been holding any transfer plans up and there is a lot of behind-the-scenes debate about what the root cause could be. At this point, it looks like Shannon may be getting back to ground zero. Maybe Kansas State becomes more of a realistic option and maybe the best option for all involved is a return to Texas Tech if somewhere like Michigan can’t happen. Definitely, one to stay tuned into.”"

That doesn’t sound promising for Michigan but keep your fingers crossed. You never know.