Long list of college options keeping five-star KJ Evans busy
Class of 2023 five-star forward KJ Evans describes himself as a “position-less” basketball player. His versatility and glaring upside have him seated within the top five of the 2023 Rivals150.
At 6-foot-9, Evans is a promising playmaker out of the post, with a developing perimeter game. The Montverde Academy forward has shown flashes from every level in the half court, both as a playmaker and as a scorer. When everything clicks, he’s arguably the best inside-out prospect in the entire junior class.
Evans spoke with Rivals to go over the latest happenings in his recruitment.
IN HIS WORDS
On Oregon: “I really like Oregon because their coaching staff has been in contact with me more than anyone else recently. I talk to Coach (Chris) Crutchfield the most from there. I like their whole staff and I want to go check it out. I’m planning a visit there soon. They want me to come in and produce right away and they’ll have players there that can help me if I go there. They want to develop me for the NBA because they put some guys in there. They just want to win, too.”
On Kentucky: “I like how Coach (John) Calipari and them coach their players. I went on an official up there, so I know how hard he coaches them in practice. Their season is going good and they’re a potential number one seed. The players and the atmosphere as well.”
On Indiana: “I like Coach (Mike) Woodson. He’s proven it in the league, so I know he’s going to run an NBA system. He’s going to help guys get to the league as well. He has those connections. My teammate Jalen Hood-Schifino is going there, too, so I’m going to go check it out as well.”
On Auburn: “The way they’ve had Jabari Smith play. They think I can develop into what he’s doing as well. Auburn, they have a fast way of how they send people like me into the league. Isaac Okoro, Jabari Smith, they put guys like that into the league, so they can help me as well.”
On UCLA: “They just offered me, but I’ve been talking to their coach. They seem interested in me a lot. I’ve been thinking about going out there to see Cali and visit their school. I want to see their atmosphere and what things are like out there.”
On Gonzaga: “They just came and saw me recently. Gonzaga sees me as a Chet Holmgren type player that can do it all. I feel like I can showcase that with them. Gonzaga is one of the top schools in the country.”
On Texas: “Texas has been recruiting me for a minute. They have a good squad. There’s a lot of people backing up their program. My teammate Dillon Mitchell is going out there so I figure I’ll go check it out. Their coaching staff has been with me and they’ve been saying they can see me in their system. I like their system. They play defense and get up and down.”
On pro options: “I can’t really say if they’re an option at this moment. They’ve been talking to us, but I really don’t know right now. When it gets closer, they probably will be.”
WHAT'S NEXT?
“I want to make a decision right before the high school season. Not right after AAU, but sometime in that part where we don’t play, we just practice and stuff at our school before the high school season.”
RIVALS REACTION
If Evans tips the scales from more ‘potential’ to ‘production’ during the AAU season, he’s going to have every school in the country ringing his phone off of the hook. Right now, it seems like Oregon has some momentum in this race, but Kentucky is in the mix as well. Evans is also enamored with a few other programs such as Indiana and Auburn. I actually logged a FutureCast in favor of the Ducks a couple of days ago.