Louisville women’s basketball fans will get one last chance to say goodbye to their star.
The University of Louisville and Card Nation has been fortunate to have some of the best players we have seen come through the Louisville women’s basketball program. This new era of UofL women’s basketball began in 2007 with the hiring of Maryland assistant Jeff Walz. The cornerstone of where the program is at now is thanks to the commitment and signing of Angel McCoughtry who set the foundations for the women’s basketball program.
With that success came great player after great player, with the standouts being Shoni Shimmel after Angel, then came Myisha Hines Allen, then Asia Durr, and finally the superstar we celebrate this season Dana Evans.
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Where the journey started
When Coach Walz signed his #1 recruiting class in 2017 I don’t think even he knew what he was getting. Walz signed three five-star prospects in that class. Lindsey Duvall from Bullitt East in Mt. Washington KY, Loretta Kakala from Manteca High School in Manteca CA, and Dana Evans from Westside High in Gary IN.
Evans came out of high school as the number 3 guard and number 7 overall in the 2017 class. She chose to sign with Louisville over Purdue and Tennessee. As a McDonald’s All-American Evans came in highly ranked, highly recruited, and with plenty of hype.
I believe over the last four years she has lived up to the hype.
Evans entered into a deep and talented backcourt as a freshman. As highly ranked and hyped as she was, Evans knew what she was walking into when she signed. As Arica Carter and Asia Durr started, Evans still found her way on the floor.
In her freshman season, she averaged 22 minutes per game in 31 regular-season games played, notching 5.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. Her success led to being named to the ACC All-Freshman team.
The rise of a superstar for Louisville women’s basketball
Entering her sophomore season I believe she expected to play a larger role for the Cards. She did just that.
In 29 regular-season games, Evans upped her minutes per game by three to 25. She nearly doubled her points total as she jumped to 10.5, stayed about the same in rebounds with 2.3, and got a little boost in her assists with 4.1.
The achievements didn’t stop. In her second season, she won ACC Sixth Player of the Year and earned ACC All-Academic team standing. Coming off the bench she still ranked 3rd in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.2, 10th in three-point percentage at 38.5%, and 8th in assists per game with 4.
Her junior season is where things really took off. With the departure of Durr to the WNBA, Evans moved into the starting lineup for the season. She saw a big jump in time on the floor, averaging 34 minutes per game in 28 regular-season games played. Her stats increased across the board as well as she averaged 17.9 points per game, 2.7 rebounds per game, and 4.3 assists per game.
The accolades just kept coming, quickly making her one of the most decorated players in program history. She was named ACC Player of the Year, becoming the first player in ACC history to win Sixth Player of the Year and ACC POY in back to back seasons. She also joined McCoughtry and Durr as the only three WBCA All-Americans in program history. Evans earned AP Second Team All-American honors and was named to the USBWA Second Team All-American.
Saying goodbye one last time & the mission ahead
Now on to our current time, and Dana Evans’ final year as a Cardinal.
Evans came into this season as the unmatched leader of this team on and off the court. She is the lone senior as Loretta Kakala and Lindsey Duvall have both transferred out of the program. The hype surrounding the Louisville women’s basketball program has been at an all-time high over the last few seasons. But with a guard like Hailey Van Lith coming in and nearly the entire roster returning – the pressure was on for Evans to finish her career on the highest note possible.
Through 19 games this season she leads the team in minutes at 31.8, and points per game with 20.6. She has also led the Cardinals at an 18-1 record, and the team’s first number 1 ranking in program history. She’s been the vocal leader for Louisville on and off the court helping her new cast get adjusted, and involved in games.
Evans’ college career still has a little under two months to go, but her career at the Yum ends Thursday. In previous seasons the seniors got to come back and play home tournament games, but COVID has taken that his year
As she walks to midcourt before tip-off Thursday I am positive it will be to a loud, thunderous standing ovation. There will be tears shed in joy and celebration of, in my opinion, one of the top two players to ever suit up for the Louisville women’s basketball team.
The season is far from over and there’s still is a chance to elevate herself to a new level. Evans has all but wrapped up the ACC Player of the Year Award and is at the top of the list for NCAA Player of the Year. There’s also the chance to become a First Team All-American within the conference as well as Nationally and to take home other prestigious individual awards.
Thank you Dana for the hard work, the thrills, and the lasting impression that you have left on Card Nation.
