2021 4-star Tamar Bates commits to Indiana
Indiana has landed 2021 4-star guard Tamar Bates, he announced on Monday.
Bates joins 4-star center Logan Duncomb in Indiana’s 2021 class.
Bates is ranked the No. 57 prospect in the class of 2021.
The Kansas native transferred from Piper (KS) High School to national-power IMG Academy (FL) ahead of his senior year. As a junior, Bates averaged 22.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He also shot 58 percent from the field and 44 percent from three. This year, he helped lead IMG to GIECO Nationals.
Bates recently re-opened his recruitment after decommitting from Texas following the departure of head coach Shaka Smart to Marquette.
"Their demonstration to us of just how important Tamar was to them," Tyrone Bates', Tamar's father, told TheHoosier.com. "One of our last zoom calls had 10 people on it and that really showed us that Tamar was not only wanted but needed.
"They checked all of our boxes, called daily to help us gain more insight about who they were as people and coaches and they have opportunity for him to compete for playing time right away."
New IU head coach Mike Woodson has talked about developing players to get to the next level and knowing what it takes to get them there. That resonated with of Bates' family.
"We think experience at multiple levels of the game is a good thing and he brings that," Bates’ father previously told TheHoosier.
At 6-foot-5, Bates is a physical guard who can play either backcourt position. With Woodson's 4-out and 1-in system he is going to bring to Indiana, finding multiple ball handlers and playmakers has been a point of emphasis.
"(Woodson) says he hopes to bring an NBA style to the college game," Bates said. "... I would say he (Bates) is a cerebral player. He is a ferocious defender and a playmaker. I think he would bring a high energy, leadership, and competition to any team he joins.”
Rivals' National Analyst Rob Cassidy broke down Bates' game.
"Tamar is efficient. He creates off the dribble and gets to the rim pretty easily and uses his size when he does so. He has some ok range when he is going but needs to get more consistent shooting from the outside. Has a great motor. Plays hard. High-level defender because of both effort and positional versatility... Bates possesses an incredible basketball IQ. So while he can score in bunches, he doesn’t always need to."
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