You've probably heard this a million times
already, but it deserves to be repeated: Heshimu means "warrior", and
Heshimu Evans certainly fit that description during his career at
Kentucky. Whether it was starting or coming off of the bench, Evans always
provided a huge amount of energy and effort, and was a key part of some very successful
teams at UK. Evans started his career at Manhattan before his days at UK, and
was a big-time performer at the MAAC school. As a freshman, Evans was the
conference's freshman of the year, and was a key player on the Jasper's team that
upset Oklahoma in the 1st round of the NCAA tournament. After another solid
sophomore season as the leading scorer on a less-talented team, Evans decided to
transfer from Manhattan after Fran Frascilla left the program to take the St.
John's job. Calling around, Evans was accepted as a transfer to Kentucky and sat out
the 1996-97 season. However, that's not to say he wasn't heard from during that
redshirt year. Practicing with the team, Evans raised plenty of eyebrows among
observers for his tenacious play in practice, especially against future NBAers
Derek Anderson and Ron Mercer. When his junior year rolled around, Evans settled
into the role of the team's 6th man. Evans provided instant energy and defense off
of the bench, and he certainly came to play each and every night. It was his
two 3-pt shots in the early stages of the second half against Duke in the NCAA
regional final that helped spark UK's improbable comeback in that game. As a senior,
Evans stepped into the starting lineup and looked like an absolute All-American
in the early season, putting up big-time numbers, especially against Maryland.
However, midway through the year, Evans lost a bit of confidence in his shot, and
went basically AWOL for a few weeks before getting things back into gear late in the
season.
Being a warrior, you can bet Evans excels at rebounding and defense. He
crashes the boards hard, especially the offensive glass. Defensively, Evans is
capable of being a "stopper", and has versatility in that he could guard
anybody from a power forward to a point guard (at times) on the collegiate level.
Offensively, Evans is a tough player inside and has range out to the college
3-pt line. He also is a solid passer and has a decent handle. Evans, of
course, is being labeled a "tweener" between the guard and forward
positions. At 6'6", he is likely a little short (and small in stature) for SF
in the NBA, and does not possess a consistent enough outside shot or enough
ball-handling skills for shooting guard. In fact, much of Evans' struggles in
mid-season came not coincidentally from a move to shooting guard when Kentucky
went to a bigger lineup. There is no questioning Evans' desire however, as he
does come to play each and every night, and will always make things happen on the
court, whether it be crashing the boards against larger opponents, or diving for
loose balls.
Evans participated in the Nike Desert Classic in Phoenix, and played
decently. The questions regarding his outside shooting remain, however, and he looks
at this point to be a second round pick at best. A solid performance in Chicago
would cement that status.