Mizzou lands transfer commitment from Indiana’s Tamar Bates, originally from Piper
The Missouri men’s basketball program received some good news from a familiar face to those who keep up with high school hoops in Kansas City.
Tamar Bates, a one-time Piper standout who finished his pre-college days at IMG Academy in Florida, will be joining the Missouri Tigers for this upcoming season, he announced on social media. This comes on the heels of a reported visit Bates took to Columbia.
“M-I-Z,” Bates wrote in the post announcing his news. “Let’s gooooo we HERE !!”
Originally a four-star prospect in the class of 2021, Bates, ranked No. 30 nationally in the 247Sports Composite and as the No. 6 shooting guard in his class, chose Indiana over reported offers from Creighton and Texas, as well as local schools in Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri.
The reported Power Five offer list also included Alabama, Colorado, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Virginia Tech, per 247Sports.
As a freshman at Indiana, Bates appeared in 32 games and averaged 3.9 points. He notably upped that production last year, appearing in all 35 games for Indiana and making two starts. Listed at 6-5, 190 pounds, Bates averaged 6.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, while shooting 37.4% from three and 92.6% on free throws.
Bates had 14 points in a Big Ten semifinal loss to Penn State. He had 17 points in a win over Michigan State, 19 points in a win over Nebraska and 22 points in a win over Jackson State earlier in the season. He did, however, go scoreless in two NCAA Tournament games, shooting 0 for 13 in 41 combined minutes vs. Kent State and Miami.
“Thank you to the entire IU community for welcoming my family and I with open arms, especially at a point in my life where there was a lot of uncertainty,” Bates wrote on social media. “Regardless of how it ended I am forever grateful for the opportunity I had to be a Hoosier.”
Out of high school, Bates was evaluated by 247Sports’ Jerry Meyer as a projected second-round NBA Draft selection down the line. Meyer noted Bates’ prowess as an “accurate deep shooter,” and the thought was that he could be “dangerous on defense.”
“Jumps passing lanes, has good hands, and has lateral quickness,” Meyer wrote. “Needs to develop strength as a rebounder and one-on-one defender.”
This comes as a notable pickup for a Missouri team with several holes to fill, including the potential departure of Kobe Brown, as he goes through the NBA Draft process.
The Tigers are also facing transfer departures from Mohamed Diarra and Ronnie DeGray, and they’ve been active looking to bring in a big man from the portal.
Bates won’t help in the frontcourt, but he can help fill in for departing guards DeAndre Gholston and D’Moi Hodge, who have exhausted their college eligibility. Additionally, Bates will still have two years to play at his new school — and it seems he already has a close connection with coach Dennis Gates.
Why did he pick Missouri?
“Just from the jump, when they first started recruiting me, coach Gates and the rest of the staff were getting a feel for who I am,” Bates told Eric Bossi of 247Sports. “The thing that really caught my attention was they weren’t just recruiting Tamar Bates the basketball player. They were recruiting the father, the brother, the son, the uncle, the nephew and every face and facet of who I am and what has made me who I am today.”
