Former Hoosiers Guard Tamar Bates Commits to Missouri
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Former Indiana guard Tamar Bates wanted to get closer to his Kansas City home when he entered the transfer portal. He ended the suspense on Friday night, committing to Missouri.
Bates spent two years at Indiana, arriving just after Mike Woodson was hired as the head coach in 2021. He was Woodson's first recruit, and a big one at that. The Kansas City, Kan., native who played his final year of high school at IMG Academy in Florida, was a five-star recruit on some services and gave Woodson a quick splash.
Bates never found his ground at Indiana, though, struggling through both of his two seasons. As a freshman, he shot just 33 percent from the field and 29.8 percent from three-point range, averaging 3.9 points per game.
A lot was expected of him as a sophomore, with coaches and teammates alive bragging about how well he played during summer workouts. But his 2022-23 season was filled with inconsistency.
There were some highs — he scored 22 points against Jackson State, 19 each against Nebraska and Kennesaw State, and 17 in a big home win over Michigan State — but he also went through long stretches where he struggled to score, most notably during Indiana's two NCAA Tournament games, where he went 0-for-6 against Kent State and 0-for-7 in the season-ending loss to Miami.
He only scored in double figures once in his last 16 games. After the Jan. 22 Michigan State game, he finished the season with one stretch where he went just 6-for-32 from the field. He averaged 6.1 points for the year and led IU’s rotation players in free throw shooting (92.6 percent).
Bates thanked the Indiana basketball community for all their support during his two years in Bloomington.
''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 said in a tweet. "Regardless of how it ended I am forever grateful for the opportunity I had to be a Hoosier.''
Bates had to deal with a lot off the court, becoming a father during his freshman year. He didn't like being away from Leilani for long stretches, and cherished his time with her when she came to Bloomington for games with his family.
Leilani won a baby crawl race at Assembly Hall at halftime of the Michigan State game, and Bates had her on his lap during his postgame press conference, which went viral on social media.
Indiana guard Tamar Bates (left) sits with daughter Leilani while Trey Galloway looks on during a press conference following the Hoosiers' win over Michigan State in January. (IU Athletics)
He also made sure she was in his commitment announcement. Bates wore a Missouri jersey in the post, and his daughter was dressed up from head to toe in a Missouri Tiger costume.
Missouri finished 25-10 last year, and 11-7 in the Southeastern Conference. They made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed, and beat Utah state 76-65 in the first round before being upset by No. 15 seed Princeton in the second round. They are coached by Dennis Gates.
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