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No Big East team has been busier than Xavier so far this week.
They’ve made four offers already, as is pretty customary during this time of the year. They have a lot of open spots in 2018-19 with the impending departures of Trevon Bluiett, JP Macura, and others, so it makes sense.
On Monday, they offered 2018 four-star forward Immanuel Bates of North Carolina.
#Xavier just offered 2018 @TeamFeltonBBall forward Manny Bates
— Julius Kim (@JKimElevate) July 18, 2017
Bates checks in at #99 on ESPN’s Top 100 for 2018, and is the sixth-best prospect in North Carolina.
Bates also has offers from DePaul and Georgetown, among other Big East schools.
On the surface, this would seem like a pretty good fit for the Musketeers, who have relied on graduate transfers at center for the past couple seasons. However, Sean O’Mara’s emergence in the 2017 NCAA Tournament could carryover to the next couple seasons.
You can never have too many big men, though. Below is a video of Bates from last year, but it’s a good look at his skillset which will continue to develop.