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6-foot-10 center Evans commits to Salukis

By paul klee
The southern

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 8:47 AM CDT

The assumption people usually make of Nick Evans is that he has always been a basketball player. After all, Evans is 6-foot-10 or 6-11, depending on whom you ask.

But Evans could not confirm that assumption until the second semester of his sophomore year. That's when he enrolled at Red Hill High School in Bridgeport after years of being home schooled.

"I had only played in four or five games. All of them were in kind of a home school league," said Evans, who will be a senior in August. "I just started playing basketball a year and a half ago."

Evans went from not playing organized basketball in his first 16 years to gaining a scholarship offer to play at SIU. He accepted the offer Tuesday, when he called Chris Lowery to inform the SIU coach he will sign a letter of intent with the program in November.

It has been a rapid climb for Evans. He practiced with Red Hill's team as a sophomore but said he could not play in games. As a junior last season - "it was really my first-ever season" - Evans said he averaged about 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists per game.

"It's a very unique situation," said Red Hill boys coach Brian Havill. "The first time I saw him was in open gym, when we were trying to get him enrolled in school. I knew he had a lot of potential. He was a little raw, but I knew he had a lot of tools there."

His AAU coach described Evans as "a late bloomer."

"It's kind of been like a diamond in the rough for a lot of colleges," said Michael Fox, who coaches Indiana Elite. "He's a kid that hasn't had a lot of basketball training; he hasn't played a lot of basketball.

But the problem with that is hat the colleges see him as kid they can mold and develop."

Evans is expected to become the second member of SIU's 2007 recruiting class. Putnam County standout Carlton Fay, a 6-foot-8 forward, has already given a verbal commitment.

Evans said the Salukis were the first program to offer him a scholarship. He said he chose SIU over Miami (Ohio), Nebraska, Illinois State, Evansville, Akron and Murray State, among others.

"I loved what the coaching staff has done in developing their players," Evans said. "Tony (Young) and Randal (Falker), what they have turned into is pretty amazing. I really liked that."

Prior to joining Red Hill about 18 months ago, Evans' lone experience playing basketball was "in the back yard."

"I never played in a YMCA summer league or anything like that," he added.

To improve, Evans has been training under NBA and college coach Ed Schilling and former NBA player Dave Jamerson through Champions Academy in Carmel, Indiana.

Evans said he is 6-11 and weighs about 240 pounds. A late start put him "severely behind" his peers on the basketball court, he noted. He had 55 blocks and shot almost 80 percent from the field last season for Red Hill (19-9).

"One, he's worked a lot defensively, because there were a lot of concepts he didn't know just from not playing," Havill said. "Two, when he gets the ball in the post there were times when his feet would get crossed up. Now he's a lot more fluid.

"When he gets the ball inside, he's basically looking to rip down the rim," the Red Hill coach said. "At times he would have an easy shot and he'd kick it back out. Being 6-11 he needs to turn and take it to the rack."

Evans joined Indiana Elite in the spring. Fox said Evans has come off the bench behind Beas Hamga, a 7-foot center who has given a verbal commitment to the University of Iowa.

"He (Evans) is a blank slate. He's just been a sponge picking up information and trying to put it into his play," Fox said. "He plays so hard, the first AAU game he played, the first play down the court, he commits an offensive foul. He set a screen too hard.

"He actually doesn't know how to contain it, yet," Fox said. "That was the first part of the battle."

SIU coaches cannot comment on a prospective student-athlete until he signs a letter of intent.

Evans, who took in four games at SIU Arena last season, said he does not anticipate any problems being cleared by the NCAA to play Division I basketball, despite being home schooled for much of his education.

 

paul.klee@thesouthern.com

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