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Felony charges against Eastern Michigan F Emoni Bates to be dropped
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Former Memphis Tiger Emoni Bates announced his transfer to Eastern Michigan in the offseason. His progress was halted in the summer when Bates was arrested for possession of a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on the gun.
His lawyer announced Thursday that Bates’ felony charges are expected to be dropped next week following a plea deal.
He is expected to be reinstated to the Eastern Michigan basketball program soon.
“It’s my understanding he’s actively being cleared by the school administration to return to campus today to resume his studies and his basketball career,” his attorney, Steve Haney said Thursday, via ESPN. “I’m very pleased this matter has been resolved so Emoni can get back to school and join his teammates.”
Bates didn’t quite pan out the way he was expected to at Memphis. The forward is plenty talented but was unrefined and looked like what he was – an undersized forward that just moved from high school early. He played just barely over 20 minutes per game as a freshman for the Tigers last season.
Eastern Michigan should provide a fresh start for the high potential hooper.
Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.