Bates Demonstrates Early Potential

JR Bates 4'8" PG 2025 Pickerington

He’s still very young, but Jason Bates Jr. (4’8”/PG/2025/Pickerington) has already established a body of work, which suggests he has a bright future.  As half of Coach Jason Bates’ 2025 All-Ohio Red’s elite backcourt, which includes super stud Arness Lawson (5’2”/PG/2025/Columbus), Bates’ is versatile enough to either run the point or provide scoring from beyond the ark.  Although his role for his Pickerington winter team is more about facilitating, in the summer, Bates slides over to the 2 spot and slips into more of a scoring role.

Despite his age, Bates, a coach’s son, has a big time basketball IQ and a superior skill set. He’s aggressive to the cup, can shoot the 3-ball, while also finding open teammates for easy buckets.  He’s not just an offensive threat, as he’s also a lock down defender.  Bates’ quickness is an asset both offensively and defensively.  We’ve seen Bates on a couple of occasions at our elite showcases, and although he has played up against older kids, he’s still found a way to excel.  In fact, at our last showcase in September, Bates played his way into the all-star game and more than held his own.

Right now, we have Bates ranked among the top 10 players in Ohio in his class.  Bates is not just a talented basketball player, as he is also a stud on the gridiron as well.  In fact, Bates’ quickness translates on the football field as evidenced by the fact he led his team in touchdowns last season.  Bates is also getting it done in the classroom where he consistently makes straight A’s and the Honor Roll.  As further evidence of the kind of kid he is, Bates recently won the “Pillars of Character” Award at Tollgate Middle School.

As eluded to earlier, Bates is one of several studs on a loaded 2025 All-Ohio Red squad that won 5 tournaments last season and finished in second place in two other tournaments.  Bates is joined on the roster by: Lawson, Mykell Murphy (5’8”/C/2025/Columbus), Jahleel Wakeel (5’2”/CG/2025/Whitehall) and Darius Graves (5’0”/SG/2025/Galloway). 

All-Ohio’s 2018 season tips off with the Nike Grassroots tournament in March, but you can also catch them in action at the April 13^th-15^th Buckeye Prep Invitational.  You can also catch Bates and his teammates in action individually at the March 10^th Buckeye Prep Elite Showcase.  We look forward to monitoring Bates’ development over the next couple of years!