We conclude our 2016-17 season preview interview series with ASU JR PG Shannon Evans. Most people do not associate the character trait of “loyalty” with players who leave their old school to transfer to a new 1, but Shannon certainly fits the bill. He spent the 1st 2 years of his college career at Buffalo under Coach Bobby Hurley, and when the coach headed 3000 miles west to ASU, his young PG followed suit. He had to redshirt last year but is ready to get back onto the court Friday night when the Sun Devils host Portland State. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Shannon about playing in the NCAA tourney a couple of years ago and learning the PG position from a 2-time NCAA champ who set the D-1 record for career AST.
As a freshman at Buffalo you scored 8.5 PPG and were named to the MAC All-Freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I just came in and tried to do whatever I could to get a little playing time. I learned that I could get onto the court by pressuring the ball and bringing some energy to the game, so I played as feisty as I could and my game opened up from there.
In January of 2015 you scored a career-high 33 PTS (8-11 3PM) in a win over Cornell: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It was crazy: I felt like I could not miss. You dream of having nights like that and they only come around every blue moon. My teammates kept getting me the ball and I made a lot of shots.
As a sophomore you were top-10 in the conference in PPG/APG/SPG: how do you balance your scoring with your passing with your defense? I try to take whatever the defense is giving me. Some nights I am a scoring option and other nights I just pass the ball.
In the 2015 NCAA tourney you scored 15 PTS in a 6-PT loss to #5-seed West Virginia: how close did you come to pulling off the upset? We came really close: we were down by 1 PT with 2 minutes left but just could not take the lead. When you have some success you want to keep being successful so now I want to get back there and go even further.
That spring you decided to transfer: why did you choose to follow Coach Bobby Hurley when he left to become coach at ASU last year? Coming out of high school I had a lot of holes in my game. Coach helped me get where I am today so I owe all of my success to him and my parents. They all made big sacrifices for me and helped me become the player I am.
Coach Hurley won back-to-back NCAA titles at Duke while setting an NCAA record 1076 career AST: what has he taught you about becoming a great PG? He taught me to being open-minded and poised. He preaches the importance of being a leader.
How do you expect to fit into the backcourt with fellow JR PG Tra Holder? I feel that we complement each other well and can both score/pass so we just try to share the ball and make the right play at the right time. We both have a mindset of winning: that is more important than anything.
Your non-conference schedule includes games against Northern Iowa/Kentucky/Purdue/Creighton: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I think that all of them are equal and we will take it 1 game at a time. Whatever game is next on our schedule is the most important.
You only have 2 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? There is a lot of pressure because we have a lot of young guys. I have been around Coach the longest so I know what he expects/demands. I try to help everyone out as much as I can because the sooner they learn the ropes the better.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I want to make it back to the NCAA tourney: that is my only goal. We want to win as many games as we can and change the culture at ASU.