Louisville basketball is in the thick of things for Dennis Evans, one of the top centers in the 2023 class. Breaking down Evans’ game, and what his addition would mean for the Cards.
Louisville basketball is in on one of the top players in the 2023 class in massive center Dennis Evans.
Evans committed and signed with Minnesota in October of 2022, but asked for a release from the school in the last week of February. According to 247Sports recruiting analyst Eric Bossi, he is still waiting to be released from his National Letter of Intent.
When he is released, Evans will be the best player on the market from the 2023 class.
Louisville basketball is reportedly among the programs to reach out to Evans’ camp in hopes of landing his services.
Those with intel surrounding the situation have high confidence that Evans will ultimately land in Louisville.
Ty Spalding of Rivals.com placed a crystal ball prediction for Evans.
Trevor Andershock of 247Sports called Evans a “100% lock” to the Cards.
With that in mind, let’s dive a little into Evans’ game and what he would mean for the Cards in 2023 and beyond.
What Evans brings to Louisville
If Evans was drafted today, he’d have the fourth-longest wingspan in the NBA. He stands 7’1, has a 7’7″ wingspan, and a 9’7″ standing reach.
Surmise it to say that this is a type of talent that Louisville hasn’t had in a long, long time- If ever.
Evans, first and foremost, is a gifted defender. Just due to size alone, he has a ridiculous ability to protect the rim and cause deflections anywhere in the paint.
However, it’s his athletic ability and spacial awareness that makes Evans one of the best prospects in high school basketball.
Given his athletic gifts, Evans figures to be one of the best defenders and rebounders in college basketball from day 1 in Louisville.
Evans finished his career at Hillcrest high school in Riverside, California as the all-time leading shot blocker with 563, most triple-doubles (7), and is the second all-time leading scorer (1,083) and rebounder (794).
This season, Evans had a single game where he recorded 16 blocked shots.
Evans is also a shockingly good ball-handler and shooter. This year, he’s hit 33 percent of his three-point shots and knocked down 74 percent of his free throw attempts.
We are talking about a one-and-done type of talent given Evans’ freakish size and athleticism and ability to play like a modern NBA big man.
Evans can get away from the basket on offense and knock down shots. He can put the ball on the floor and get to the bucket. And he has a growing array of post moves that make defending him at any level a nightmare.
For Louisville basketball, it would be hard to imagine Evans not playing right away.
Big men Sydney Curry, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Rosevelt Wheeler, and Emanuel Okorafor all have eligibility remaining. However, each of Louisville’s centers has struggled at times this year, leaving their future up in the air.
If one had to guess, Okorafor feels like a lock to be on the Louisville roster in 2023-24, but the remaining depth at that position feels like a volatile situation.
We know that head coach Kenny Payne and his staff want to make significant changes to the roster in the offseason. So, with the addition of Evans, UofL could certainly go a long way toward transforming the center spot after adding Okorafor in January.
Payne and assistant coach Danny Manning are known for their ability to develop post players. However, Curry and Wheeler were holdovers from the previous regime that have not developed as expected.
Evans would give the staff a big man that has a game similar to Anthony Davis, Karl Anthony Towns, John Collins, or Doral Moore- All players developed by Louisville coaches.
Landing Evans would be a potential springboard into the 2023-24 season that Louisville basketball desperately needs.
