Emoni Bates and Ypsilanti Prep debut in big matchup: Live updates

Ypsilanti Lincoln sensation and the No. 1 sophomore basketball player in the country, Emoni Bates, had a dunk party against Tecumseh on Feb. 11, 2020. Detroit Free Press

Emoni Bates, a Michigan State basketball commit and the No. 1 player in the class of 2022, will make his debut for Ypsilanti Prep this week in front of a national audience.

Ypsi Prep’s exhibition matchup with No. 1-ranked senior Chet Holmgren and Team Sizzle (Minnesota) is one of three marquee high school games broadcast Thursday in an ESPN tripleheader. The other two contests feature Michigan basketballrecruiting targets, the nation’s best sophomore and the son of a future NBA Hall of Famer.

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Bates played for Ypsilanti Lincoln as a freshman and sophomore, before moving to Ypsi Prep this year — a school Emoni’s father, Elgin Bates, opened.

*all rankings per 247Sports

[ Tom Izzo anticipating Emoni Bates, Jaden Akins’ debuts with Ypsi Prep, a school unlike most in Michigan ]

How to watch Emoni Bates, Jaden Akins

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Who: Team Sizzle (Minnesota) vs. Ypsilanti Prep.

When: 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12.

Where: Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

TV: ESPN2, ESPN app.

Not watching? Follow live updates at the bottom of this page.

The buzz: Thursday’s game will be the first for Ypsi Prep. The team will play a national schedule that includes tournaments in Texas and games in Michigan, according to Ypsi Prep’s website. Along with Emoni Bates, Ypsi Prep rosters Jaden Akins (four-star Michigan State 2021 commit) and undecided four-star prospects Dillon Hunter, Javaughn Hannah (MSU and Michigan target) and Shawn Phillips (MSU target). 

Team Sizzle is an AAU team comprised of players from Minnehaha Academy, alma mater of Gonzaga star recruit Jalen Suggs and winner of the Minnesota State High School League’s last three AA basketball championships prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Holmgren is a smooth-shooting 7-footer drawing interest from many programs in the AP top-25 rankings, including Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan and Duke as well as home-state Minnesota.

How to watch top Michigan basketball recruits

Who: Air Nado (Nevada) vs. California Basketball Club.

When: 10 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12.

Where: North Valley Christian Academy in Phoenix.

TV: ESPN2, ESPN app.

Sierra Canyon High (CA) guard Bronny James (0) waits to come into the game against Millennium High (AZ) during a Hoophall West game on Dec. 7, 2019 at Chaparral High in Scottsdale, Ariz.

 (Photo: Rob Schumacher/The Republic)

The buzz: Wolverines basketball fans may want to stay up for Game Three of the night. Air Nado — a Nevada-based travel team — features Jaden Hardy (a top-five senior guard) and Michigan commit Frankie Collins (top-50 senior). They’ll face off against CBC, led by Michigan target Amari Bailey (top-five junior) and Chance Westry, a 6-foot-4 combo guard with an offer from Michigan. Bronny James, son of four-time NBA champion LeBron James also plays for CBC. 

What else: In the first game of the tripleheader, Lake Norman Christian (North Carolina) and Mikey Williams, the No. 1-ranked sophomore, will battle prestigious Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) at 7 p.m. in Phoenix. 

Don’t see the live updates box? Refresh page or try this link to Twitter.