Class of 2019 Ken Evans Jr.

[OrangeFoo]

Cool… 4 pages down and 97 left to go.

 

[Dmcnabbrules]

Plus Donnie is by no means a banger. Hangs around outside the paint on offense. Agree with rim protector. Not sold on Donnie’s shot blocking ability. Lampkin can’t block shots and N-Mac too slow.

From last years EBYL first few weeks. Couldn’t find full year stats. Overall, Freeman averaged 10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.9 blocks in just 20 minutes per game while shooting 55% from the floor. In addition, Freeman made six three pointers including three of his last five attempts.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised by Donnie as a weak side defender.

 

[Red2003]

How quickly people forget that we played down the stretch with 7 live bodies and declined an NIT bid because we had no bodies left in March to play. We need to acquire more bodies that in aggregate fill roles.

We do not need a unicorn that plays the 1 perfectly in every skill set. For all we know they'll get hurt at practice and we'll be screwed.

My assumption is that we're looking for a G, a F, and C still that complements our other G's, F's and C's...Do I care if they're perfect no. Do I care that they can do a few things really well, Yes.

 

[jsshap]

I don't think anyone disagrees, but the point is he can't be a big part of the plan during the Spring while building a team given his history.

What specifically is his history? Is it two years in a row with a knee injury or is it a knee injury that was re-injured or re-aggravated last year? Not saying both aren't cause to keep expectations measured but those are 2 very different things.

 

[Red2003]

Overall, Freeman averaged 10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.9 blocks in just 20 minutes per game while shooting 55% from the floor. In addition, Freeman made six three pointers including three of his last five attempts.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised by Donnie as a weak side defender.

Exactly. He's a HS recruit not a 4-5 year college player. His stats don't mean nearly as much as his athletic capabilities and how he's improving as he gets older. I believe he gave interviews months ago about how he was just trying to improve his rebounding and defense.

What his stat line was starting his Senior year and where he is now tells the story. Clearly the people watching him every minute he plays and comparing him to all the other Forwards in the class have noticed because every major recruiting service has skyrocketed his recruit ranking through the year.

 

[Sbucketball]

What specifically is his history? Is it two years in a row with a knee injury or is it a knee injury that was re-injured or re-aggravated last year? Not saying both aren't cause to keep expectations measured but those are 2 very different things.

I think he hurt his other knee last year if I'm remembering correctly. Either way, he hasn't been healthy since high school so people wouldn't give Red the benefit of the doubt on an injury excuse next year if he's out again.

 

[Melancer46]

Watching some of his game action, just a list of stuff as I see it:

• His 3 point shooting is obviously his biggest strength. Not going to be jacking up 3's like crazy the way Reynolds or Leffew do, but it's definitely the part of his game that you'd expect to translate over to us the best.
• Struggles to elevate on his drives and isn't a very good ball handler, probably a big reason for his struggles finishing at the rim despite being physically strong relative to his peers. Mostly tries to just power through people once he gets to the paint. I'd expect these struggles to continue against ACC competition.
• Not sure if it's just coincidence, but both of the games I've watched so far (Memphis and Gonzaga), he didn't really do much until they pulled their starters out. 9 of his 18 points against Memphis came in the last 2.5 minutes against their backups and 19 of his 25 points against Gonzaga came in the last 5ish minutes when they started putting the backups, Mark Few's son, etc. in.
• I'll have to see how they play against some of the other SWAC teams, but it stood out to me that the offense wasn't really run through Evans in these two games. Nobody really dominates the ball but their 5'8" PG definitely handled it the most of anyone. You don't really average nearly 20 points in a season without getting a lot of touches but he was just really quiet in both of these games until the end.
• The Georgetown game was competitive the whole way through and Evans had a much better performance (though he went 1/7 down the stretch as the game slipped away). Kind of more of the same though; the offense isn't really run through him much but he did a nice job of taking advantage of opportunities as they came up.

Not really sure what to make of him yet to be honest. My initial reaction is I think I'd probably roll with Carlos and JJ as the starters but not sure how realistic that is.

Edit: Watched the Georgetown game too and added a bullet at the end here.

 

[Cuse1055]

If we can get a conference player of the year we gotta go for it.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Yeah…no. Bell gonna get 30 plus at the SF. This is crazy

Only if he plays much better defense every game.

 

[sutomcat]

Plus Donnie is by no means a banger. Hangs around outside the paint on offense. Agree with rim protector. Not sold on Donnie’s shot blocking ability. Lampkin can’t block shots and N-Mac too slow.

Just to add some substance to your opinion, here are the rebounding stats for the EYBL.

Donnie was the 2nd best rebounder in the conference. Good offensive rebounder but nothing special Really good defensive rebounder.

He would have led the league in rebounding had he been better on the offensive boards. Which I think is directly related to your point.

It will be interesting to see how Donnie plays on the offensive end at Syracuse, especially his frosh year. We might have him play more down low; at least flash him down low some. Could work well with Eddie, who appears to me to be a gifted high post passer.

2023-2024 Men's Basketball - Overall Statistics - Nike EYBL Scholastic

The official 2023-2024 Men's Basketball cumulative statistics for Nike EYBL Scholastic

nikeeyblscholastic.com

 

[two3zone]

Watching some of his game action, just a list of stuff as I see it:

• His 3 point shooting is obviously his biggest strength. Not going to be jacking up 3's like crazy the way Reynolds or Leffew do, but it's definitely the part of his game that you'd expect to translate over to us the best.
• Struggles to elevate on his drives and isn't a very good ball handler, probably a big reason for his struggles finishing at the rim despite being physically strong relative to his peers. Mostly tries to just power through people once he gets to the paint. I'd expect these struggles to continue against ACC competition.
• Not sure if it's just coincidence, but both of the games I've watched so far (Memphis and Gonzaga), he didn't really do much until they pulled their starters out. 9 of his 18 points against Memphis came in the last 2.5 minutes against their backups and 19 of his 25 points against Gonzaga came in the last 5ish minutes when they started putting the backups, Mark Few's son, etc. in.
• I'll have to see how they play against some of the other SWAC teams, but it stood out to me that the offense wasn't really run through Evans in these two games. Nobody really dominates the ball but their 5'8" PG definitely handled it the most of anyone. You don't really average nearly 20 points in a season without getting a lot of touches but he was just really quiet in both of these games until the end.
• The Georgetown game was competitive the whole way through and Evans had a much better performance (though he went 1/7 down the stretch as the game slipped away). Kind of more of the same though; the offense isn't really run through him much but he did a nice job of taking advantage of opportunities as they came up.

Not really sure what to make of him yet to be honest. My initial reaction is I think I'd probably roll with Carlos and JJ as the starters but not sure how realistic that is.

Good info in here. Thanks.

 

[IthacaMatt]

How did we manage to score when we had both AO and Rick in the lineup together? Just playing devils advocate.

We played a high-low post, so not both of them crowded the lane. They were both excellent and efficient low post scorers, and we mostly put shooters around them, not so much driving guards. With the Arinze and Rick teams, we had great defensive rebounding, and got out on the break at every opportunity for Kris Jo and Wes Johnson.

Our roster last year was filled with guards who drive, but were not great outside shooters. That is when you need a big man who can draw the opponent's shot blocker outside to guard our big from taking the three. It opens up the lane for the drive. You noticed how many times Judah drove into 2 or 3 defenders near the rim last year, right? That's what a stretch big would help us avoid so much of.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Red has done a good job of being quiet / stealth on recruiting front. Hopefully this is one of those…

 

[Sbucketball]

Only if he plays much better defense every game.

Yeah, I understand Bell is a central part of the plan and I like his shooting, but 30+ for him is excessive unless he's on a heater. If Westry's healthy he'll be taking some of those minutes. And there will be other looks at the 3 too. I would think 25 for Bell would make more sense with outliers being days he's on a heater or days he's a sieve on defense.

 

[jsshap]

I think he hurt his other knee last year if I'm remembering correctly. Either way, he hasn't been healthy since high school so people wouldn't give Red the benefit of the doubt on an injury excuse next year if he's out again.

Thank you. Again the pause and concern makes sense, but not nearly as much as it would if he came back and found out the injured knee was still concerning and potentially chronic. I'm not worried about fans giving Red the benefit but trying to measure the level of reasonable concern of another injury. Seems it's been inflated a bit.

 

[IthacaMatt]

They didn't play much together. Rautins was the 6th man, but averaged more minutes than both of them. He played a lot that year on the back line.

Not true. They played high-low offense when they were in together, with Rick at the foul line, where we had Maliq last year, and Arinze on the low block. They both played around 25 minutes a game, and we spent at least 10-15 minutes a game in the high-low offense.

 

[Sbucketball]

Watching some of his game action, just a list of stuff as I see it:

• His 3 point shooting is obviously his biggest strength. Not going to be jacking up 3's like crazy the way Reynolds or Leffew do, but it's definitely the part of his game that you'd expect to translate over to us the best.
• Struggles to elevate on his drives and isn't a very good ball handler, probably a big reason for his struggles finishing at the rim despite being physically strong relative to his peers. Mostly tries to just power through people once he gets to the paint. I'd expect these struggles to continue against ACC competition.
• Not sure if it's just coincidence, but both of the games I've watched so far (Memphis and Gonzaga), he didn't really do much until they pulled their starters out. 9 of his 18 points against Memphis came in the last 2.5 minutes against their backups and 19 of his 25 points against Gonzaga came in the last 5ish minutes when they started putting the backups, Mark Few's son, etc. in.
• I'll have to see how they play against some of the other SWAC teams, but it stood out to me that the offense wasn't really run through Evans in these two games. Nobody really dominates the ball but their 5'8" PG definitely handled it the most of anyone. You don't really average nearly 20 points in a season without getting a lot of touches but he was just really quiet in both of these games until the end.
• The Georgetown game was competitive the whole way through and Evans had a much better performance (though he went 1/7 down the stretch as the game slipped away). Kind of more of the same though; the offense isn't really run through him much but he did a nice job of taking advantage of opportunities as they came up.

Not really sure what to make of him yet to be honest. My initial reaction is I think I'd probably roll with Carlos and JJ as the starters but not sure how realistic that is.

Edit: Watched the Georgetown game too and added a bullet at the end here.

So is your opinion that he definitely wouldn't be our lead guard? Doubt we get him without starting him, so the most likely plan would be for JJ to be the lead guard, which I'm not crazy about, but at this point I think you have to chase the talent, which means get this kid.

 

[Sbucketball]

Thank you. Again the pause and concern makes sense, but not nearly as much as it would if he came back and found out the injured knee was still concerning and potentially chronic. I'm not worried about fans giving Red the benefit but trying to measure the level of reasonable concern of another injury. Seems it's been inflated a bit.

Yeah I agree it would be a lot more concerning if it was the same knee. Hopefully it's just a stretch of bad luck and he's not as injury prone as it seems.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Not true. They played high-low offense when they were in together, with Rick at the foul line, where we had Maliq last year, and Arinze on the low block. They both played around 25 minutes a game, and we spent at least 10-15 minutes a game in the high-low offense.

26 and 22 minutes both seasons. Good for 5th and 6th/ 4th and 5th in minutes. Rautins played more minutes than both in 08-09 and Joseph played more minutes than both the next season.

 

[IthacaMatt]

26 and 22 minutes both seasons. Good for 5th and 6th/ 4th and 5th in minutes. Rautins played more minutes than both in 08-09 and Joseph played more minutes than both the next season.

Yes, and when you factor in foul trouble occasionally taking them off the floor, that means they had to play more than 10 minutes a game on the floor together. Unless we were playing 50 minute games that season. It's just math.

 

[sutomcat]

Watching some of his game action, just a list of stuff as I see it:

• His 3 point shooting is obviously his biggest strength. Not going to be jacking up 3's like crazy the way Reynolds or Leffew do, but it's definitely the part of his game that you'd expect to translate over to us the best.
• Struggles to elevate on his drives and isn't a very good ball handler, probably a big reason for his struggles finishing at the rim despite being physically strong relative to his peers. Mostly tries to just power through people once he gets to the paint. I'd expect these struggles to continue against ACC competition.
• Not sure if it's just coincidence, but both of the games I've watched so far (Memphis and Gonzaga), he didn't really do much until they pulled their starters out. 9 of his 18 points against Memphis came in the last 2.5 minutes against their backups and 19 of his 25 points against Gonzaga came in the last 5ish minutes when they started putting the backups, Mark Few's son, etc. in.
• I'll have to see how they play against some of the other SWAC teams, but it stood out to me that the offense wasn't really run through Evans in these two games. Nobody really dominates the ball but their 5'8" PG definitely handled it the most of anyone. You don't really average nearly 20 points in a season without getting a lot of touches but he was just really quiet in both of these games until the end.
• The Georgetown game was competitive the whole way through and Evans had a much better performance (though he went 1/7 down the stretch as the game slipped away). Kind of more of the same though; the offense isn't really run through him much but he did a nice job of taking advantage of opportunities as they came up.

Not really sure what to make of him yet to be honest. My initial reaction is I think I'd probably roll with Carlos and JJ as the starters but not sure how realistic that is.

Edit: Watched the Georgetown game too and added a bullet at the end here.

Good stuff ML.

Looking at their schedule, they had a bad year but finished playing their best ball of the year. Won 7 of their last 9. It was during this stretch that Evans dramatically improved his assist to turnover numbers.

I did a little research and I see that the 5'8 PG (Chase Adams) got hurt during this interval.

Evans took over the PG duties and the team started playing a lot better after Adams missed more than a month (through most of February and into March).

This makes me feel better about Evans. His numbers and the play of the team got a lot better when he started playing PG full time. I think with his outstanding outside shooting, the coach might have had him in the wrong role for a long time.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Yes, and when you factor in foul trouble occasionally taking them off the floor, that means they had to play more than 10 minutes a game on the floor together. Unless we were playing 50 minute games that season. It's just math.

I am not arguing that. I’m just saying outside of starting the first 5 minutes of each half together they weren’t on the court much together after that.

 

[Melancer46]

So is your opinion that he definitely wouldn't be our lead guard? Doubt we get him without starting him, so the most likely plan would be for JJ to be the lead guard, which I'm not crazy about, but at this point I think you have to chase the talent, which means get this kid.

I don't really see anything in the 3.5 games I've watched to suggest he can be a lead ball-handler, no. He's not like Chris Bell or anything where he basically doesn't dribble but he was pretty much exclusively used off ball and doesn't really create for his teammates. As sutomcat mentioned, maybe that changed down the stretch but I don't really even see the tools for it personally. That's not to say he's a bad player or anything; I just don't see him filling that role. I see him as a sub for JJ/Bell.

 

[cusefan88]

Hopefully they land this guy and do a summer trip to get everyone acclimated.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I am not arguing that. I’m just saying outside of starting the first 5 minutes of each half together they weren’t on the court much together after that.

<Sigh.> Again, it depended on the opponents. When we played teams with big front courts, they could (and did) play together.

You also need to factor in that DaShante Riley also played around 160 minutes that season, which works out to another 5 minutes a game for the center position.

When we played shrimpy teams in the pre-conference schedule, of course those 2 guys didn't spend a ton of time on the floor together.

If you do the math, we had centers on the floor for 52 minutes a game, even counting Arinze missing the last 3 games of the season due to injury.