Prospect Spotlight: Nicholas Evans

Adam Ayalew

August 3, 2020 @ 05:00 AM

The 2022 class in the DMV area is shaping up to be a good one. Nicholas Evans, a class of 2022 forward from Gonzaga, might be currently flying under-the-radar now but has a good chance to be among the most highly recruited kids from this area down the line. Evans, who is long and wiry at 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-10+ wingspan, has grown about six inches since he first started playing competitive basketball about three years ago. When you watch him play, it’s clear that he is still yet to gain full command of his body as he is still likely growing into it. "I’m aggressive. I bring a lot of energy specifically on the defensive end with the blocks," Evans told Prep Hoops during a recent interview. "And I bring the energy plays on the offensive end like some dunks." One of the first things you will notice when you watch Evans play is how active he is. He gets up and down the floor in a hurry and is very disruptive around the basket when protecting the rim. One of the things you might not notice initially when watching Evans is his shooting touch. "I can stroke it when I get into a rhythm," he confirmed. As he gets stronger and fills out his frame, Evans should become more comfortable dealing with physicality around the basket. He already has shown promising signs with his ability to establish low post position, take contact, and make a jump hook. One specific area of improvement for Evans is being more assertive and vocal on the defensive end. Luckily, he’s had some good players around him at Gonzaga that he’s been able to learn from. "One vocal guy on our team that I look up to is [player_tooltip player_id="900144" first="Terrance" last="Williams"]. When I was on JV last year, we scrimmaged them a couple of times in practice," Evans began. "He’s very active on the defensive end." To date, only Brown and High Point have reached out to show interest in Evans. That list should expand soon. Evans is expected to have a crucial role on the team next season. He should fight for a starting role and get good minutes. By this time next year, we could be talking about the next household name in DMV Hoops.