Five-Star big man Dennis Evans has scheduled an official visit to Kansas
Dennis Evans, the 7-foot-1, 210-pound center from Hillcrest High School in Riverside, Calif., is one of the most heavily coveted prospects in the 2023 class. However, that wasn’t always the case for the No. 12 ranked player in the class.
At one point, Evans, the No. 2 ranked center in the class, was ranked No. 141 overall in the 2023 class, but that changed following his performance on the hardwood this spring and summer.
“Dennis plays for a high school that is a local public high school,” said Elvert “Kool-Aid” Perry, who has been coaching Dennis Evans on the AAU circuit since the age of 10. “He wasn’t getting the opportunity, like the other ranked kids, became he chose, more or less, not to play with a shoe company. I think that’s the reason why he got overlooked.
“To me, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s a top-10 kid,” he added. “This weekend, we played in the states, and he averaged a triple-double in scoring, blocks, and rebounds. He averaged about 13 or 14 blocks a game.”
Evans, who jumped up 129 spots in the most recent Rivals150 basketball rankings, isn’t your typical big man. Yes, he can score in the paint, block shots, and rebound with the best of them, but he also has the ability to step outside and impact the game from the perimeter.
Evans, according to “Kool-Aid”, is far from a one-dimensional player.
“Well, he can do both,” he said when asked if Evans is a traditional center or if he has the ability to take his game outside. “He can go inside or he can step outside. He works on his game every morning at about 5 o’clock. He’s got to work a little bit on becoming a better shooter, but he’s great in the post.
“He can score with either hand, up-and-under, and is very skilled,” he added. “He’s extremely athletic and he’s now 7-foot-2 with a 7’7” wingspan. I would say he’s got a 37-inch vertical and people need to remember that he just turned 17, so he has a tremendous future.”
Instead of playing for one of the traditional powers on the AAU Circuit, Evans made the decision to remain with his “Team Inland” squad that doesn’t necessarily receive the national exposure that many teams do throughout the evaluation periods.
Still, despite his lack of exposure, Evans has not only emerged as one of the top prospects in the 2023 class, but also one of the most coveted.
“Make no mistake about this, in the end of this, he will be a top 3 NBA pick,” he said. “That’s because of his work ethic, his intelligence, he knows what he wants, and not too much into being ranked and where his ranking is, and that’s me being brutally honest. He told me that his goal is to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
“He (Dennis) told me that you could be the No. 1 player and get drafted No. 60, so the most important thing to him is working on his game. He’s the type of player that doesn’t have any tattoos and is all about basketball. He’s not about the NIL deal or anything like that. Truthfully, he could care less about that stuff. He’s not about being a fashion dude or anything like that.”
From being an unraked prospect in the 2023 class to the No. 141 ranked player in the 2023 class to being the No. 12 ranked player in the 2023 class, Dennis Evans, without question, has made some major improvements to his game throughout his prep career. Playing at Hillcrest High School in Riverside, Calf., during the school year and then staying local with Team Inland during the spring and summer, Evans simply doesn’t get the opportunity to showcase his skills like most in his class.
Even with the lack of exposure from a national perspective, Evans, when the time comes, will have the opportunity to select from an almost unlimited number of options when it comes to his recruitment.
When looking to the future, what type of player does “Kool-Aid” envision when thinking about Evans, or what type of player does Evans remind him of when it comes to his abilities on the hardwood?
“Joel Embiid,” he said. “Yes, absolutely. Joel may be a little more skilled, offensively. Dennis is definitely “A-1” skilled, defensively, and he’s probably the best center that I’ve seen in a long time, that skilled, defensively. His offense is catching up. He might be a “B-“ with his offense, but he got set back a little bit when he got hurt.
“He went for USA, but his skill level, if you go watch the tapes, he can shoot, he can put it on the floor, and he’s 7-foot-2 and takes such a beating. Whoever gets Dennis Evans, whether it's Kansas, TCU, or Minnesota, because those are the three teams that have really been recruiting him hard, is going to get a special player.
“Dennis really isn’t into the blue blood programs,” he continued. “Kansas is probably it (when it comes to the blue blood programs recruiting Dennis Evans), because he has a relationship with Kurtis Townsend.”
Currently, Kansas, TCU, Minnesota, California Riverside, Missouri, Florida State, San Diego State, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Georgetown are a few of the programs that have invested quite a bit of time recruiting Evans.
However, during Monday’s interview with JayhawkSlant.com, “Kool-Aid” made it perfectly clear that three programs, at least at this stage, have separated themselves from the pack.
“Kansas already offered Dennis and he’s considering Kansas,” he said. “He’s considering Kansas heavy. He’s considering Kansas heavy, as well as Minnesota and TCU. Those are probably the three main schools. After this weekend, Chris Beard (Texas) was at the game the other day. They offered him and they made it very clear, them and Oklahoma State, that they would come. Georgetown has definitely been on him.
"The funny part is, maybe only one West Coast school is really recruiting him,” he added. “That school is San Diego State. Listen, like I said, Dennis is a kid who is intelligent, grounded and it's not about the NIL with him. It's about the coaching and can you coach?
“That’s the one thing me, him, his family, and his cousin, that’s the one thing we always talk about,” he continued. “Can you coach? I’ve had the kid since he was 10 and that’s the one thing he’s looking at. The environment, can you coach, and he wants to be coached by a guy that won’t be afraid to be direct and tough on him, because that’s the way I coach Dennis.”
Additionally, Evans, one of the nation’s top prospects in the 2023 class, has scheduled one official visit, with more expected to be scheduled in the future.
“Dennis is going to visit Kansas on “Midnight Madness”,” he said. “Absolutely, that’s when he’s going down to visit Kansas. I’ve already seen “Midnight Madness” and I’ve already been there, but I told Dennis that it would give him a better glimpse of the culture of Kansas. You’ve got to understand, he’s not going to Kansas because it's Kansas. He’s not going because of the image or because of the celebrity of the school and the notoriety.
“If Dennis does decide to attend Kansas, it's because of the coaching,” he added. “That’s his main focus. You’ve got Coach Self and Coach Townsend, so how could you not be interested? Kansas is Kansas. I mean, really, it's Kansas. It’s a great environment and we’re not worried about the NCAA and the thing going on with Coach Self. They want to go to a nice spot and it’s the school itself, just as well as the other schools.”
With one visit already scheduled, it's only a matter of time before Evans sits down with “Kool-Aid” and his family to come up with additional visit dates. With the month of July nearing its end and a final event remaining on his schedule, don’t be surprised if more programs try to make a strong push for Evans.
However, it would appear that a small group of schools have established themselves as the teams to beat in the race for Dennis Evans.
“He’s going to the Under Armour Elite 24,” he said. “He’s going to visit Kansas, Minnesota, TCU, and probably two other schools. He’ll visit those schools and then that’s it. Next year, he’ll probably sit back and watch people play. He’ll do his own thinking and he’ll watch the team.
“Dennis is going to do his own thing, watch the teams, and do his homework on the coaches,” he added.