Shannon Evans

Evans is the son of Shannon and Armona Evans. He was a multi-sport athlete growing up, playing cornerback and receiver in football as well as playing center field in baseball, though basketball remained his favorite. At Nansemond River High School, Evans was coached by Ed Young, and the two had a contentious relationship. He joined the varsity team as a sophomore but Young sent him down to junior varsity since he did not think Evans was ready. As a junior, Evans started the season as a bench player but joined the starting lineup after scoring 27 points in his first start. He received some college looks after his senior season, but his SAT scores did not qualify him for a college scholarship, so he opted for a postgraduate year at prep school Hargrave Military Academy. His parents, grandparents, and great-aunt helped him pay for tuition, with his mother cashing out her 401(k) account.[1] Evans received scholarship offers before his first game and committed to Buffalo.[1]

At Buffalo, Evans averaged 8.5 points per game.[1] He averaged 15.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game as a sophomore, shooting 38 percent from the three-point line, and led the Bulls to their first NCAA Tournament. Evans was named to the Second-team All-MAC.[2] After his sophomore season, Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley was hired at Arizona State, and Evans decided to follow him despite his mother's objections.[1] As a junior, Evans was second to Tra Holder on the team with 15.0 points per game and was fifth in the conference in assists with 4.4 a game.[3]

Evans began his senior season well, scoring 22 points in a win over Xavier on November 24, 2017. Evans scored 22 points in a win against Kansas two weeks later and was named Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week. Evans's shooting then fell off, and he missed 15 consecutive 3-point attempts at one point.[1] He averaged 16.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and led Arizona State to the NCAA Tournament.[4] As a senior, Evans was named Honorable Mention All-Pac-12.[5]

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Evans played for the Houston Rockets in the NBA Summer League.[6] In August 2018, he signed with Atomerőmű SE of the Hungarian league.[7] On June 23, 2020, Evans signed with Élan Béarnais of the French LNB Pro A.[8]

• Arizona State Sun Devils bio