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George Halcovage III added a notable name to his first recruiting class as the men's basketball coach for Buffalo.
Anquan Boldin Jr., who is the son of former NFL wide receiver Anquan Boldin, announced he is joining the Bulls' class:
"With a lot of thought and prayer and the support of family and friends, I have decided to commit to the University of Buffalo—the best place for me to pursue higher education and my dream of playing professional basketball," he wrote.
"From the moment I stepped foot on Buffalo's campus, I felt at home. The team genuinely welcomed me, and the coaches' transparency and encouragement were comforting."
Rachel Lenzi of the Buffalo News noted the younger Boldin chose the Bulls over Manhattan, Eastern Michigan and North Carolina A&T.
Boldin is a guard who can handle the ball, defend multiple positions and facilitate if needed. He averaged 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and one block per game while playing for IMG Academy's postgraduate team in Florida this past season.
"George really likes having big guards on his team," Boldin said, per Lenzi. "He wants me to be versatile and he sees me as a person who could be a two-way player, a great defender and a scorer and someone who can distribute the ball."
Halcovage is looking to turn things around for Buffalo after the program missed the NCAA tournament in each of Jim Whitesell's four seasons at the helm. The new coach was a longtime assistant under Jay Wright at Villanova and helped the Wildcats win two national titles and seven Big East regular-season crowns.
As for the elder Boldin, he entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2003 and played 14 seasons for the Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.
His resume features a Super Bowl title, three Pro Bowl selections and seven seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards.
Boldin tweeted that he was a "proud father" who is "excited to see where this journey takes us" after his son's decision.
Eastern Michigan forward Emoni Bates released a statement following a resolution to his legal issues on Wednesday:
Bates pleaded down to a misdemeanor charge of attempting to transport a loaded firearm in a vehicle, according to Anna Liz Nichols of the Detroit News.
He was originally arrested on Sept. 18 and charged with two felonies of carrying a concealed weapon and altering identification marks on a firearm. The felony charges were dismissed last week as part of a plea agreement, per Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel of ESPN.
After being suspended by the university pending resolution of the felony charges, Bates was reinstated.
"I'm very pleased this matter has been resolved so Emoni can get back to school and join his teammates," attorney Steve Haney said.
Bates transferred to Eastern Michigan this offseason, returning to his hometown of Ypsilanti, Michigan.
The highly touted forward was a 5-star recruit considered the fifth-best player in the 2021 class, per 247Sports composite rankings. After initially committing to Michigan State, he went to Memphis and had an up-and-down first season at the collegiate level.
After scoring at least 15 in each of his first three games, Bates finished with averages of 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
He will now look to make an impact in the Mid-American Conference, trying to rebuild his stock as a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
Eastern Michigan forward Emoni Bates reached a plea agreement that will see felony charges against him dropped and allow him to rejoin the Eagles' basketball program.
Steve Haney, Bates' attorney, told ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel on Thursday that Bates will plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of attempted illegal transportation of a weapon, which can also be dismissed if he completes a diversion program.
"It's my understanding he's actively being cleared by the school administration to return to campus today to resume his studies and his basketball career," Haney said. "I'm very pleased this matter has been resolved so Emoni can get back to school and join his teammates."
Eastern Michigan later confirmed Bates was reinstated:
Bates was arrested and charged with two felony counts—carrying a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on a firearm—following a Sept. 18 traffic stop in Superior Township, Michigan, per ESPN.
Haney said the felony charges will be formally dismissed next Wednesday during a hearing at Washtenaw County Circuit Court.
The Eagles are scheduled to play an exhibition game against Grand Valley on Oct. 27 and then have their regular-season opener against Wayne State on Nov. 7.
Bates' availability for those games hasn't been announced by EMU. The 6'10'' forward transferred to the MAC school in August after starting his college career at Memphis.
The 18-year-old Michigan native was a 5-star prospect and the No. 5 overall player in the 2021 college basketball recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.
Bates averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.4 threes and 1.3 assists across 18 appearances (13 starts) during his season at Memphis. He missed six weeks during the campaign with a back injury before returning for the NCAA tournament.
He became the first 5-star recruit to join a MAC basketball team when he opted to return to his hometown over transfer interest from Power Five programs.
"I love my city and coming home to do something special was big for me," Bates said. "I've known several of the guys on the team from playing together and competing. Having a strong relationship and bond with my teammates and coaching staff was important to me. I've been working really hard over the years, especially this summer, against great competition to continue to get better."
While his stock has dipped over the past year, he'll have an opportunity to shine at EMU as a ready-made MAC Player of the Year candidate for the Eagles.
Eastern Michigan basketball player Emoni Bates has been suspended indefinitely after he was arrested Sunday night and charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on a weapon.
The university announced the suspension in a statement on Monday, via The Detroit News' Carol Thompson and Tony Paul:
"We are aware of a situation involving men's basketball student-athlete Emoni Bates. Eastern Michigan University takes all allegations of this nature very seriously. Per department policy, he has been suspended automatically from practice and playing privileges until the legal process is resolved. Because this is an ongoing legal matter, the University will have no further comment at this time."
According to police, per 7 Action News, Bates was initially pulled over in Washtenaw County, Michigan after failing to stop at an intersection. He was taken into custody after a firearm allegedly was discovered at the traffic stop.
The former Memphis player transferred to Eastern Michigan in June, returning to his hometown of Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Bates was a highly touted recruit throughout his high school career. ESPN's Paul Biancardi. listed him as the No. 1 player in any class when he was just a sophomore in 2019, ahead of future No. 1 draft picks Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero.
After reclassifying to the 2021 class, he ended up as the No. 5 overall player in 247Sports composite rankings.
Injuries slowed him down during his first season at Memphis, however, and he averaged just 9.7 points in 18 appearances. The forward decided to transfer after one season, looking to reestablish himself as a star while playing in the Mid-American Conference.
Still just 18 years old, Bates remains an NBA draft prospect and was considered a second-round pick in the first 2023 mock draft by ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
The Mid-American Conference announced punishments for four Kent State men's basketball players who appeared in a video in which the phrase "f--k Akron" was repeatedly said.
Kent State is playing Akron for the conference title Saturday with an NCAA tournament bid on the line.
As noted in the statement, DJ Johnson is suspended indefinitely, and Malique Jacobs, Cli'Ron Hornbeak and Julius Rollins are suspended for the first half of the Akron game.
Only Jacobs has played in this year's conference tournament, but he is a huge loss. Jacobs is the Golden Flash's second-leading scorer this season and top scorer during the tournament.
He's averaging 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and is coming off a 19-point, 10-rebound, five-assist, two-steal performance in a 67-61 win over Ohio in the conference tournament semifinals.
The title game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Miami (Ohio) announced it postponed Tuesday's men's basketball game against Central Michigan and Wednesday's women's basketball game against Western Michigan.
According to ESPN's Tom VanHaaren, a student was showing mild symptoms of the coronavirus after returning from China. Health officials are conducting an investigation.Â
Central Michigan athletic director Michael Alford issued a statement referencing the ongoing situation at Miami:
"The health and safety of our student-athletes is always a top priority and, out of abundance of caution, it was decided to cancel tonight's men's basketball game. I appreciate the diligence that the staff at Miami have shown and this serves as a reminder of how serious these issues are. Our medical team has also been an important part of this process, making sure our student-athletes are safe and protected."
Miami has yet to work out when it will make up the two games.
According to CNN, 106 people have died in China as a result of the Wuhan coronavirus, with 4,585 cases reported across the globe.Â
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Jan. 21 it had discovered the first case of the coronavirus in the United States. The patient was in Washington state, having recently returned from China.
The CDC listed headache, cough, sore throat and fever as symptoms of the disease. Chinese officials said they believe the incubation period is between one and 14 days, per the BBC.
Kalin Bennet was told he'd never walk. Now he's the first player diagnosed with autism to score in a Division I basketball game.
Watch above.
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TULSA, Okla. ― If you're looking for a Cinderella story, Buffalo isn't it.
Although the program is a mid-major conference champion on the sport's biggest stage―the 2019 men's NCAA basketball tournament―there wasn't any doubt it would be here. The Bulls received a "save the date" card for the Big Dance months ago.
When the official invitation arrived, it featured Buffalo as a No. 6 seed. Nate Oats' team backed up the billing in its 2019 tourney debut with a 91-74 triumph over 11th-seeded Arizona State.
That, however, doesn't mean the Bulls are about to be considered a favorite. According to B/R Betting, the only top-six seed with lower odds to win the national championship before the tournament started was Mississippi State. And since March Madness has been relatively thin on upsets so far, Buffalo isn't moving from its place as an underdog.
Last year, the Bulls reveled in ruining Barack Obama's bracket. This March, they're built to wreck even more―and are doing it without a bunch of highly recruited talent.
Of their seven players with at least 500 minutes played this season, none was a 4-star recruit out of high school in the 247Sports composite rankings. The core of this Buffalo team is comprised of overlooked recruits.
CJ Massinburg, the MAC Player of the Year, netted 18 points in Friday's win. Nick Perkins and Jeremy Harris both scored 21, while Jayvon Graves added 13 points and Davonta Jordan had seven assists.
The Bulls are especially difficult to contain because of their superb efficiency at a blistering pace.
According to KenPom.com, they own the nation's 10th-fastest tempo. Buffalo takes 36.4 percent of its initial shots in transition―the fourth-highest rate, per Hoop-Math.com―and boasts a 61.0 effective field-goal percentage, which ranks 31st.
If the Bulls can run, they're dangerous. The rapid pace―which conflicts with third-seeded Texas Tech's methodical tempo and is the polar opposite of No. 2 Michigan's slow style―stresses defenses and creates open shots thanks to terrific ball movement.
And that is what's most important: Buffalo sees.
Led by Jordan at 3.6 per game, five players average at least 1.9 assists. Friday, their ball movement was clinical. Buffalo regularly passed up contested drives for wide-open looks.
Showcasing that collective vision will be pivotal in Buffalo's hopes of spoiling March for Texas Tech in the second round and potentially Michigan in the Sweet 16. Those programs are first and second nationally in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
But as TNT broadcaster Steve Lavin noted, the Bulls' cooperative approach translates to the other end of the court.
They entered Friday with the nation's 21st-ranked three-point defense and held Arizona State to a 3-of-22 clip from the perimeter. Only nine Division I teams have surrendered a three-point clip of 40 percent in a game fewer times than Buffalo's five, per Sports Reference.
And even if Texas Tech and/or Michigan play slow and don't shoot threes, the Bulls can succeed in a defensive battle.Â
In non-transition possessions, per Hoop-Math, Buffalo has ceded an effective field-goal percentage of just 47.2. Plus, the Bulls are 21st in transition defense and 64th in opponent turnover rate.
Buffalo is built to contend with the nation's best teams.
The clock has struck midnight on many of 2019's potential Cinderella stories, but that's of no concern to the Bulls. This spoiler is ready to take its rightful place in the spotlight.
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Recruiting information via 247Sports. Statistics courtesy of KenPom.com or Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
The Buffalo Bulls basketball team is coming in hot after their shocking upset of Arizona in last year's NCAA tournament. They have spent most of this season as a top 25 team. Watch the video above for more about the Bulls' mission to earn more respect.
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