Chris Evans Featured In September Issue of Basketball Times
9/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Evans' year at Wabash Valley a springboard to Kent State
By Tony Jimenez, Basketball Times
It would be easy to look at Chris Evans' short hoops resume and figure that the kid's looking out for No. 1 – himself – in an age of me, me and more me. That would be an inaccurate assessment.
Yes, the 6-foot-7 Evans' move to Kent State marks his third school in three years, but he was wise enough in his one-year stops at Coastal Carolina and Wabash Valley, Ill., juco to take a little of this and a little of that from both of those institutions and incorporate some nuances into his game. He is now prepping to play for his third coach in as many years with the potential to be one of the biggest impact players going from the two-year school ranks to a four-year school.
"It was a learning experience at each school," Evans said. "I reinvented myself on and off the court each time."
Fresh out of Petersburg, Va., High School, Evans had a future as bright as his game.
"I can remember going to watch him in an open gym workout that spring and there were 20 D-I schools there," said Kent State assistant coach Bobby Steinburg. "His recruitment was all over the place."
With the likes of Central Florida, Georgia and VCU in quest of his game, Evans also had a good visit to Kent State. The Golden Flashes wanted Evans to sign on the dotted line, but he eventually went to Coastal Carolina, where he averaged eight minutes per game as a freshman.
"He struggled in his freshman year with school and the complexities of the college game," said Coastal Carolina assistant coach Dan Hogan, "but he was really picking things up by the end of the year."
Evans, sensing that Coastal wasn't a good fit, wanted to transfer to Kent State after his freshman season, but the Golden Flashes didn't have a scholarship available. Enter Wabash Valley, one of the most prominent jucos in the country. Evans' game went through the roof there in part because he never once considered going to a juco as a step down, seeing it only as a lateral move. He was a first-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American, thanks to some determined and spirited play while averaging 19.5 points and 8.2 rebounds.
"Chris Evans is a big-time player," said Olney Central, Ill., coach Michael Burris, whose team is in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference with Wabash Valley. "He is a multi-dimensional wing who will hurt you in a number of ways. He was a nightmare for us to guard because we couldn't match up with his length and athleticism. Kent State is getting a player who should be an impact guy in the (Mid-American Conference) as soon as he arrives."
Said Southwestern, Ill., coach Jay Harrington, whose team is also in the GRAC: "Chris was so hard to play against because he could play the 5 all the way to a 2 guard and sometimes even brought the ball down the floor. And what a leaper!"
Evans' best attribute, said Harrington, was his ability to play the game, win or lose, with a cool demeanor.
"I liked that he was always a gracious kid who, when they won, was not arrogant and when they lost was courteous," Harrington said.
All along the way, Evans' teams won, won, won: Petersburg was 30-1, Coastal Carolina 28-7 and Wabash Valley 29-7 (the Warriors won one of three games in the NJCAA tournament, with Evans scoring 21.7 ppg and making the all-tournament team). Now he'll be a part of a Kent State team that is coming off a 25-win season with an average 24 wins per season for 13 consecutive years. He is coming in loaded for bear. His season at Coastal Carolina gave him a taste of competition with the big boys and his season at Wabash Valley, he says, "humbled" him.
"The thing I liked about Wabash Valley was the fact they always believed in me," he said. "I may not have been on in one play down floor, but the very next play, that belief in me was still there."
Said Steinburg: "Playing in three programs in as many years certainly creates some obstacles, especially in the beginning. He has to learn a different playing system, new terminology and how to gel with teammates. But he has already had to learn to adapt in his short career and that has been quite helpful in his growth process. His time at Coastal Carolina taught him the pace, speed, strength and accountability of the Division I level, and his year at Wabash Valley helped him play free-of-mind his confidence."
Said Evans: "Being at all of those winning programs taught me that you have to be prepared and that if you have talent and discipline on your team, then you're going to be successful."
Still, there was a final mini-hurdle for Evans to clear before he finally landed at Kent State. After coach Geno Ford bolted for a job at Bradley in the offseason, Evans was a bit unsettled. But he was sure he was going to Kent State after watching the Golden Flashes advance to the quarterfinals of the NIT on television.
"I was a little confused when I first heard coach Ford was leaving, but coach Steinburg made me feel like I was a priority," Evans said. "He made me feel important and that made a big difference to me. Now I know this is where I should have come right out of high school. With two years left, I wanted to play for a team where I could play a lot and be a real good contributor. I felt like I could make more of an impact here rather than any other place. I know this program is up and so is my game, and so what better place to go?"
Oh, and in those two years since he left high school, those other places he could have gone to grew in quantity and quality: Bradley, Colorado, Indiana, Marshall, Minnesota and Oklahoma State all came calling. While he might have taken the long road to Kent State, he's there and it's obvious that he and the Golden Flashes will make some noise this season.
Tony Jimenez has been covering junior colleges longer than anyone in America
