Eastern Michigan Suspends Emoni Bates After Gun Charges

Eastern Michigan has suspended star forward Emoni Bates after he was arrested on two felony gun charges.

Bates won't be able to participate in any practices or games until his legal proceedings are resolved. He was expected to provide an immediate boost to an Eastern Michigan program that hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 1998 and finished 10-21 (5-15 MAC) last season.

Emoni Bates Transferred To Eastern Michigan From Memphis

Police arrested the former No.1 recruit after Bates failed to stop at an intersection. Upon searching the car, officers found a gun in the vehicle. Bates, 18, announced his decision to leave Memphis for EMU in June. He's a native of Ypsilanti, MI.

Bates Missed 15 Games Last Season

Following the arrest, Bates was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on a firearm. Both charges are felonies.

He was arraigned and released on non-monetary bail on Monday.

On Monday, Bates' lawyer told ESPN: "Reserve judgment on this. There’s way more to the story. He borrowed someone’s car, was pulled over and a gun was located in the car.”

As a freshman last year Bates played for Memphis. He was limited by a back injury and averaged just 9.7 points in 18 games. Prior to signing with Memphis, Bates was committed to play hoops at Michigan State University.