He led Lincoln to a state championship as a freshman and became the first sophomore to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year boys' award.

As a freshman at Memphis, Bates missed time with injuries and fell sharply in NBA draft projections after not meeting expectations.

In fourth grade, he played against high school seniors at a rec league in Saline, Michigan and started competing on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit.

[5] Bates first surfaced on the national radar in early 2016, after averaging 28 points and 12 rebounds per game for the Toledo Wildcats AAU team at a tournament in Chicago.

[3] Bates played basketball for Clague Middle School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where as a seventh-grader, he was rated the number one player in the 2022 class by recruiting website Future150.

[8] On November 26, 2018, Bates made his freshman season debut, recording 32 points and 15 rebounds in an 80–69 win over Ann Arbor Huron at the Ypsilanti Tip-Off Classic.

[12] On March 7, he led all scorers with 36 points and made the game-winning shot in an 81–79 victory over Detroit Catholic Central High School, as Lincoln claimed its first regional championship.

[13] Nine days later, Bates guided Lincoln to its first MHSAA Division 1 state title after scoring 23 points in a 64–62 win over top-seeded University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy.

[17] Mick McCabe of the Detroit Free Press labeled Bates as the "best freshman to ever play in Michigan,"[18] while Evan Daniels of 247Sports mentioned him as possibly the best high school prospect since LeBron James.

During the game, Bates wore a number 24 jersey to honor his childhood idol, Kobe Bryant, who had died in a helicopter crash in the previous day.

[26] On March 9, during a win over Pioneer High School in the first round of the state playoffs, Bates was involved in a skirmish that resulted in a double technical foul and the ejection of an opposing player.

[27] He was unable to help Lincoln defend its Division 1 state title after the MHSAA suspended winter postseason tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic.

[35] On November 12, 2020, he made his debut with the program, scoring 36 points in a 78–71 exhibition game loss to Chet Holmgren and Team Sizzle.

[47][48][49] On June 29, 2020, during a live interview on SportsCenter, Bates announced his commitment to play college basketball for Michigan State.

[51] On August 24, Bates committed to Memphis to play for head coach Penny Hardaway and alongside his close friend, Jalen Duren; his other three finalists were Michigan State, Oregon and the NBA G League.

[55] As Memphis began facing stronger competition, head coach Penny Hardaway moved Bates to point guard, a position he had not played in high school, and he struggled in his new role.

[60][61] In 18 games as a freshman, he averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds, shooting 38.6 percent from the field,[62] and drastically fell in NBA draft projections.