Michigan State Basketball: 3 reasons Jaden Akins will pick Spartans

2. The Emoni Bates effect

Let’s just admit that this is a thing already.

Good, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can admit that Max Christie and Enoch Boakye were drawn to the green and white by the decision of Emoni Bates to commit to Michigan State weeks prior. It may not have been the deciding factor, but any time you have a chance to play with “the best high school prospect since LeBron”, you take it.

With Christie, Pierre Brooks and potentially Bates and Boakye (pending reclassifications) in the 2021 recruiting class, Akins has to like the chances Michigan State has to win it all.

I mean, that class just isn’t fair.

This isn’t even mentioning that Akins and Bates are new teammates at Ypsilanti Prep Academy, a school formed this year by Emoni’s father.

Developing a strong connection at the high school level helps and you can bet Akins has Bates in his ear about the possibility of playing together at the next level and continuing that relationship.

The Emoni effect is in full swing here.