Emoni Bates would have preferred a different ending to his sophomore season, but the Ypsilanti Lincoln star earned quite the honor Tuesday in being named Gatorade National Player of the Year in boys basketball.
He's the first sophomore to ever win the award.
Bates, the top player in the country in the class of 2022 and a candidate to turn pro out of high school, averaged 31 points and 10 rebounds to lead Lincoln to a 19-3 record before the season was canceled due to the coronavirus.
His best game came in a 108-102 OT win over Chelsea in which he put up 63 points and 21 boards.
Either way, Bates is already crafting quite the legacy. He beat out the top two seniors in the country to win Gatorade Player of the Year in Oklahoma State commit Cade Cunningham and USC commit Evan Mobley.