Missouri basketball landed another commitment through the transfer portal Friday evening. Tamar Bates announced on social media that he will be playing in Columbia for the 2023-24 season.
“We HERE,” Bates said in a Tweet.
Joe Tipton of On3 confirmed that the post signaled a commitment. Bates joins the Tigers after playing his first two seasons of college basketball at Indiana.
The 6-foot-5 guard hails from Kansas City. He thanked his previous team in a Tweet following the news.
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. “Regardless of how it ended I am forever grateful for the opportunity I had to be a Hoosier.”
In his final season in Bloomington, Bates played 20.4 minutes per game, averaging 6.4 points. He also contributed 1.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest.
His season high for points came against Jackson State when he put up 22. In the Big Ten tournament championship game against Penn State, he had his best showing of the postseason, putting up 14 points, along with three assists.
Bates made 39.2% of his attempts from the field last season for the Hoosiers. He connected on 37.4% of his tries from 3-point range.
He was rated as the No. 23 recruits in the nation by ESPN coming out of high school. Bates played his senior year at IMG Academy in Florida, and was ranked the No. 6 shooting guards in his class by 247Sports.
Prior to joining IMG, he played three seasons for Piper High School in Kansas City.
The 247 scouting report on Bates touted him as a scoring threat with enough length to see the court as a passer. Bates’ ability to cause turnovers defensively was also noted. MU head coach Dennis Gates said he valued that ability on Thursday when discussing what he was looking for out of the transfer portal.
“I’m still trying to lead the country in three-point shooting,” Gates said. “I’m still trying to lead the country in a positive assist-to-turnover ratio… I still want to put pressure offensively and defensively.
Bates became MU’s second transfer portal pickup this offseason. John Tonje, a guard from Colorado State, was the first.
Two Tigers have entered the portal so far, with Ronnie DeGray III and Mohamed Diarra announcing they are looking for new basketball homes. The portal remains open for entries until May 11.