Kwame Evans, Jr., No.2 in 2023, updates recruiting and talks visits
Montverde (FL) Academy’s Kwame Evans, Jr. is the On3 Consensus No. 2 player in the 2023 class. At 6-foot-10, Evans carries a unique game, passing, shooting, and handling while being a swiss-army-knife on defense.
“I am versatile, make an impact on defense, and am shooting well,” Evans told On3 Sports. “I guard positions one through five. This season I am focusing on being more engaged in the game playing with a high motor. I heard I play like Tayshaun Prince, but I take from Jayson Tatum and (Kevin) Durant. I look at their shot-creating, especially in the mid-post.”
The lengthy forward had a big summer with Team Durant on Nike’s 16u EYBL circuit. He quickly became a priority for college programs. Kwame Evans, Jr. spoke exclusively with On3 Sports about the schools prioritizing him and visits.
“Of the schools who have offered,” Evans said. “I am hearing the most from Kentucky, Oregon, Indiana, and Auburn right now. Kentucky is the only official visit I have taken.”
Evans, Jr. talks recruiting
Kentucky: “I learned how hard Coach (John) Calipari coaches. I was there for their film session that day, and he went hard on them because he was trying to prepare them for the game that night. Their practice has a lot of details you got to work through. Everyone works there. They all want time, so they work.”
Auburn: “They are looking at me to be like Jabari Smith. The way he is playing right now, they want me to be close to that for them.”
Oregon: “In general, I like their stuff, and they produce players. They are right by Nike too, so there are a lot of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) opportunities out there.”
Indiana: “I know their coach is an NBA staff because Coach (Mike) Woodson is there. I saw they just beat Purdue. With their pro staff, they run an NBA-like system, and that will help me a lot.”
Evans, Jr.’s take
“I will look to set up some more official visits after the season,” Evans said. “I am definitely looking at Oregon and Indiana; we’ll see who else. Baylor just started talking to me. Alabama and Gonzaga as well, they haven’t offered yet.
“I am going to be looking closely at the system they play at the school. The fans and the atmosphere will play a role as well. I want to play in a system that runs the floor, gets up and down, a lot of alley-oops and dunks.”
On3’s take
Kwame Evans, Jr. is a long-armed forward prospect whose defensive instincts are elite. At 6-10, he can guard multiple positions on the floor with a lot of flexibility in the style of defense a team wants to run. Offensively, the jump shot is coming out cleaner, and the vision in the half-court is crisper. Evans, Jr. is a good rebounder at his size, and he can push the break in the open floor. He will need to continue getting stronger and tightening all parts of this game, but Evans, Jr. is one of the top prospects in the 2023 class. His father was a 1,700-plus scorer at George Washington.