Penny Hardaway: Emoni Bates, Memphis basketball's star freshman, 'allowed to have a bad game'

Emoni Bates, for the first time in a Memphis basketball uniform, wasn’t himself Friday.

Three games into the superstar freshman guard’s collegiate career, the massively talented 6-foot-9 wing had delivered on the hype that made him a household name as a teenager. Bates showed he could score, rebound, defend and distribute at a clip befitting the player who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 15-year-old. Averaging 16 points a game and shooting 58% from the field (50% from 3-point range) – smiling, nodding, high-fiving and flexing all the way – he was the Tigers’ undisputed leader after three wins.

On Friday, in a 74-62 win over Western Kentucky, Bates proved he’s human. In 31 minutes against the Hilltoppers at FedExForum, the shots weren't falling and neither were his turnover numbers. Bates finished with five points on 2-for-10 shooting (1-for-6 from beyond the arc). On a night when 16th-ranked Memphis (4-0) committed 26 turnovers, four of them came from Bates.

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WKU coach Rick Stansbury told reporters afterward that a big part of his game plan was centered on neutralizing Bates. Memphis coach Penny Hardaway swatted away the theory that anybody other than Bates can limit his effectiveness.

“I think he kinda got into a – it kinda got into his head (WKU) being in (a zone defense),” Hardaway said. “We didn’t do a good enough job of moving the ball or moving him to get him open looks. Us not moving the ball properly, like we were taught, is really one of the reasons why he really didn’t get off in the zone.

“He had to take some bad shots, which fell right into their hands.”

After the Tigers took a 2-0 lead over WKU, the Hilltoppers used an 8-3 run to rattle Memphis. Bates’ only bucket of the first half came via a 3-pointer that put the Tigers ahead 10-8 with 15:48 to play before halftime. His other field goal, a pullup jumper with 17:17 left in the game, also put the Tigers ahead, 45-43. Bates missed his next four field goal attempts.

The rough outing is the first bout of on-court adversity for Bates, who missed an exhibition game with a deep thigh bruise in October.

“That’s good. That’s OK,” Hardaway said. “We got the win and he’ll be better next game. More locked in. He can take those same shots and make every last one of them the next game.”

Hardaway hadn’t yet spoken to Bates about how things played out, but he’s confident it won't fester.

“I just know that he’s a winner. He’s a warrior,” Hardaway said. “He’s allowed to have a bad game. This was his bad game. He’ll be ready for the next game.”

The next game is 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, when the Tigers face Virginia Tech at the NIT Season Tip-Off event in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Penny Hardaway: Memphis' Emoni Bates 'allowed to have a bad game'