Emoni Bates, a second-year player who transferred to Eastern Michigan this offseason after one-season with Memphis, was arrested and taken into custody Sunday night on felony gun charges. Police say that Bates was pulled over on a routine traffic stop after failing to stop at an intersection, where they discovered a firearm.
Bates faces two felony charges: one for carrying a concealed weapon and another for altering ID marks on a weapon. Bates’ attorney Steve Haney told ESPN that his client was driving a borrowed car that had a gun inside when he was pulled over, and he was subsequently booked into jail on gun charges. Eastern Michigan said in a statement to ESPN: “We are aware of a situation involving one of our student athletes. Eastern Michigan University takes all allegations very seriously. We are working to gather more details and will have further comment when more information is available.”
Bates was once ranked as the No. 1 prospect in his high school class and widely viewed as one of the best basketball prospects in the world. He committed to Michigan State before signing with Memphis, where in 18 games he averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds. After his freshman season at Memphis, Bates opted this summer to return closer to home by playing for Eastern Michigan.
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