The transfer portal is full of great opportunities for players on the rise and another is certainly taking advantage of his recent March Madness spotlight. After great work in recent seasons at Colorado State, Kyan Evans entered the Portal and has found a new home at North Carolina, committing to Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels for his junior season.
Kyan Evans joins Hubert Davis in Chapel Hill
A 6-foot-2 point guard originally from Kansas City, Evans grew up in Missouri and eventually found his initial collegiate home at Colorado State, committing to play for Niko Medved several years ago. As a freshman, Evans was part of the rotation as a reserve guard but didn’t have much of an impact on the court, though that would change in year two.
He’d certainly experience a jump forward as a sophomore, becoming a starter in Colorado State’s backcourt during a breakthrough campaign. Evans started all 36 games that the Rams played this past season, averaging 10.6 points and 3.1 assists per game. He was a critical piece on a Colorado State team that won the MWC Tournament and a first-round game in the Big Dance, advancing to the Round of 32 for the first time in twelve years.
After settling into his new role early in the year, Evans began playing much more consistent ball as MWC play began. He had ten straight games scoring in double figures late in the season and was a big part of the Rams’ late season push. In fact, Evans had a career-high 23 points in the Rams’ win over Memphis just a few weeks ago in the NCAA Tournament.
Once the season ended, Colorado State head coach Niko Medved left town for the Minnesota job and Evans entered the transfer portal. Instead of following his coach to the Golden Gophers, Evans considered other options before finding a new home in Chapel Hill. His great step forward as a sophomore saw him make 45% of his 3-pointers and emerge as one of the most efficient shooters in the Mountain West.
Evans becomes the third portal addition for the Tar Heels but the first in the backcourt, as North Carolina previously added 7-footer Henri Veesaar from Arizona and Jonathan Powell from West Virginia. The addition of Evans becomes important, perhaps slotting him in as a direct replacement for Elliot Cadeau, who entered the Portal and transferred to Michigan last week. The big question is whether Evans can replicate that same production as a sophomore while as a junior in the ACC.