Splitting Time Between Leagues, Evans Gives WKU Two NBA Tops

Former WKU Hilltopper Basketball star Jeremy Evans has been a busy man on the NBA scene.

Currently splitting time between a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks and the G League playoffs with the Erie BayHawks, the former Hilltopper has made his presence known.

In less than a week, Evans – a 6-foot-9 forward from Crossett, Ark. – signed a 10-day contract with Atlanta, was reassigned for a second-round G League playoff game, came back to the NBA Hawks and made his debut Wednesday, and was then reassigned to Erie to compete in the G League Eastern Conference final on Friday.

Evans, who was drafted by the Utah Jazz in 2010 and remained active in the NBA through 2016, has had a stellar year in the G League with the BayHawks.

He's averaged 15.3 points and 9.9 rebounds in 39 games, even expanding his game to beyond the arc. In his last six games for Erie, he's a combined 15 of 25 from the 3-point line.

On March 31, Evans helped Erie defeat the Lakeland Magic and former WKU great T.J. Price in a first-round G League playoff contest. Evans had nine points and 10 rebounds, while Price scored 14 points for Lakeland.

Evans was then signed to the NBA's Atlanta Hawks on a 10-day contract, but reassigned for Erie's next playoff game against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on April 3. Evans had 24 points, seven rebounds and three blocks on 10-of-14 shooting in that 119-116 victory.

He was then called up to the NBA for Atlanta and made his Hawks debut on April 4 in a 115-86 loss to the Miami Heat. Evans had an offensive rebound and putback slam in five minutes.

Now, he will return to the BayHawks as they play the Raptors 905 in the G League Eastern Conference championship Friday night, looking for the franchise's first-ever trip to the finals.

Evans played five seasons with the Utah Jazz after being drafted in the second round in 2010, then played the 2015-16 season with the Dallas Mavericks. He was briefly with the Pacers in 2016 before spending time overseas. Evans was with Atlanta in training camp this season, playing in three preseason games.

But before he became a veteran pro, Evans made his name at WKU. He finished his career in 2009-10 as the school's all-time leader in blocked shots (224), scored 1,065 career points and averaged 10 points and 6.9 rebounds as a senior.

Evans is the second Hilltopper currently representing the school in the NBA.

WKU legend Courtney Lee is in his 10th season in the NBA, the longest-tenured Hilltopper ever in the league, and has started all but five games he's played for the New York Knicks this season while averaging 11.9 points per game.

Evans and Lee are the two most recent of the 35 NBA Draft picks in WKU history.

Splitting Time Between Leagues, Evans Gives WKU Two NBA Tops

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