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Evans bringing versatility to Cincinnati
Quote:April 23, 2015
The is the second story in a Bill Koch series looking at the incoming signees for the 2015-16 Cincinnati men's basketball team. The first on Justin Jenifer is available here.
By Bill Koch
GoBEARCATS.com
CINCINNATI -- Perhaps no one in the state of Louisiana watched last month's NCAA Tournament game between top-ranked Kentucky and the University of Cincinnati Bearcats more intently than Jacob Evans.
The 6-foot-5, 213-pound swingman, from St. Michael High School in Baton Rouge, signed to play with UC last November and based on what he saw in UC's 64-51 loss to the Wildcats he's convinced that with a little more offensive production the Bearcats will be a formidable opponent for anyone next year.
"I really felt like they should have won that game," Evans said. "I'm pretty sure they felt the same way. It was just offensive execution. If they had just scored the ball a little better they would have been right there. They played the perfect defensive game against Kentucky. Once their defense is locked in, it's locked in. If we can work on scoring the ball, we'd be more of a threat instead of having to hold the other team to 40 points."
St. Michael coach Drew Hart says Evans could be part of the solution to what was often a sluggish UC offense last season. Evans averaged 24.9 points last year as a senior, with nine rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. He shot well over 50 percent from the field, close to 80 percent from the free throw line, and roughly 33 percent from 3-point range, according to Hart.
"I think the sky is the limit for him," Hart said. "He's just starting to bud. He's 17 now, and turns 18 mid-summer. The biggest thing about him is his work ethic. You can find good players all over the place but once they get into a program, they have to be able to grind every day. That's the kind of kid he is."
In addition to his work ethic, Evans brings an unusual versatility to the UC program because he can play three positions -- point guard, shooting guard and small forward. He played the point in high school during his sophomore and junior years, but as he grew from 6-1 as a freshman to 6-6 as a senior, he was asked to play off the ball and become more of a scorer.
With his point guard skills, Hart says, he's quick enough to beat defenders off the dribble and penetrate to the basket, but he's also strong enough to hold his own inside, and last year he greatly improved his 3-point shooting. As he matures and becomes more accustomed to the college game, he could cause matchup problems for opponents.
"Coach told me toward the end of my junior year that I was going to have to be more of a scorer and also create for others," Evans said. "I feel like it suits me better than point guard. I can always be in attack mode. I don't have to think twice about if I shoot the ball two times in a row. When a play is called for you to score, you just shoot the ball. I feel like that suits me better."
Hart, who believes that Evans isn't finished growing, said the situation at UC could be perfect for him.
"With the right people working with him shooting the ball, he's got the ability to be a 6-6, 6-7 shooting guard that can take you off the dribble," Hart said. "I watched Cincinnati all season. I know that's something they're looking for. I told him, `Here's your opportunity. You just have to go get it.' "
Evans chose UC over Tulane, South Carolina and Auburn, the other schools he visited. During his UC visit the weekend of Sept. 19, something clicked for him because Hart said he came home and talked more openly about UC than he had about any of the other schools. While he was in Cincinnati, Evans attended UC's homecoming football victory over Miami (Ohio) before 41,926 fans at Paul Brown Stadium. He met fans and students at the game, attended a basketball practice and said he liked what he saw from the coaches and the UC players.
He was in New Orleans on Feb. 28 when his future teammates beat Tulane, 63-47. After watching the Bearcats play in person, he was even more certain that he had made the right choice. He said he was impressed by the turnout of roughly 100 Rally Cats -- UC students who made the bus trip to support the Bearcats - and he liked the way UC played during a late-season five-game winning streak clinched its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
"It just let me know what to expect and how I'm supposed to play when I get there," he said.
Every player goes through an adjustment period when he makes the jump from high school to college, but Hart says Evans will be prepared for whatever the coaching staff throws at him because of the way he was coached in high school.
"I've watched a bunch of Mick Cronin's teams in the past," Hart said. "He'll be playing for somebody similar to what we are. I will get in his face and tell him if he's done something wrong. He's a great kid. He rides with me in my truck four times a week when we go lift together. He babysits my little 7-year-old daughter sometimes.
"This is a tough school. It's a strict school. If you're not willing to do what you're expected to do, you will not survive. He just never was a problem. They don't pay me at the school to win. I want to win because I'm competitive. They pay us to raise good kids. He does well in class. Every grade that he's gotten from our school he's had to earn."
Evans, who plans to arrive in Cincinnati around June 1, has not decided on a major, but he says he's thinking about accounting or some related field. From a basketball standpoint, he says he's ready to contribute right away, even though the Bearcats return three guards, including both starters, from last year.
"I feel like I'm a hard worker and I feel like my hard work is going to pay off," Evans said. "I expect to play myself into a starting role. If not, a role where I will play a lot of minutes.
I feel like I can attack the basket really well. I feel like the best part of my jump shot is my mid-range. I shot it well this past year and it has continued to improve. And I just try to make the players around me better."
When Evans gets to UC, Hart said, the coaching staff will find an eager student of the game with a picture perfect jump shot who's willing to do whatever the coaches ask him to do.
"If they want him to be in the gym shooting for three hours, he'll do it," Hart said. "He'll be as good as they want to push him."
Bill Koch covered UC Athletics for 27 years - 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer - before joining the staff of GoBEARCATS.com in January, 2015 as featured columnist. Follow him on Twitter @bkoch.
http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/bill-ko...15aaa.html
(This post was last modified: 04-23-2015 01:38 PM by Crewdogz.)
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Evans bringing versatility to Cincinnati
