The Journey to First Team NSIC
Little did he know, at three years old, Trevon Evans would begin something that would forever change the outcome of his life. Evans has been playing the game of basketball since he was big enough to walk and now it has earned him one of the most prestigious honors in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Throughout his younger years and high school age, Evans participated in football, basketball and a little bit of baseball. However, the game kept calling Evans’ name as he continued to excel at the game he loved.
“Basketball had always been my favorite sport and I’ve been playing since I was three, so I just love the game,” Evans says.
In high school, Trevon Evans was given a top honor as he was a McDonald’s All-American nominee. The McDonald’s All-American game is a game that features the best of the best high school players in the nation every year. The best boy’s and girls’ players from American and Canadian high schools get the opportunity to play in front of thousands of people, while also being broadcasted on national television
Evans was selected twice for First Team All-State player, making him one of the best five players in his state’s division. He was also named twice as a First Team All-Metro player while in Wichita, Kansas.
High School was a very successful adventure for Evans, but he knew he wasn’t done with the sport he loved. Coming out of high school, Evans had multiple NCAA (National College Athletic Association) Division 1 offerings including Northern Colorado, Texas Pan American and Weber State.
After considering all decisions, Evans decided that Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kansas is where he wanted to start. Dodge City Community College is a junior college in Kansas that has an enrollment of 1,807 students.
After playing two seasons for the Conquistadors of Dodge City Community College, Evans found that the University of Sioux Falls was the place for him. After visiting USF, Evans found the connection that he wanted between him and his team.
“I chose the University of Sioux Falls because I got a good feeling from coach (Coach Johnson) and all the players when I came on my visit to Sioux Falls,” Evans says.
In his first season at USF, the 2017 and 2018 season, he helped lead the Cougars to their most successful season since joining the NCAA Division 2 class of collegiate athletics. The Cougars won 20 games including a trip to the NSIC quarterfinal round.
Evans says that there was some hard work and a lot of team work that went into this year’s Cougar team, but it all paid off in the end. After losing a lot of seniors last season, this season’s Cougar team was very young.
“We went through a lot of adversity this year, we had a lot of problems. For us to still have a 20-win season and make it to the (Sanford) Pentagon, it was really good for us,” Evans says. “We developed a lot of team chemistry late which is normal because we were all new and we didn’t know each other coming into the season.”
As an individual, Evans had a spectacular season. Evans earned NSIC First Team honors which means he is one of the top five players in the NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference).
There are over two hundred players in men’s basketball in the NSIC and he was a top five player.
“For me as an individual, it went pretty good. I couldn’t say I expected this coming in to this year. But I knew I would have a big role on the team,” Evans says.
Evans led the team in scoring, as he scored over twenty points per game this season, which was the only person on the team to do so. He also tallied up 95 assists and 139 rebounds in only 30 games.
Evans was also given the Newcomer of the Year award by his team. Despite all of the personal successes for Evans, the season didn’t end the way he wished it had.
“It would’ve looked nicer if we would’ve made it farther in the tournament and made it to the national tournament. That’s all I was worried about this year,” Evans says. “You know those personal accolades don’t mean much, but it is nice to gets those.”
While this season’s ending left Evans and the rest of the Cougar Men’s Basketball team wanting more, the brightness on the horizon of next season is something to look forward to.
“I know coach is bringing in a lot of new talent and we’ll also have Jared Walton coming back, as he was hurt when he tore his Achilles earlier this year. It’ll be a great addition having him back and then Justin Taylor and Austin Slater, our two big men are returning as well,” Evans says. “And Aaron Rothermund is back too, so basically everyone is coming back, so it should be a fun year next season.
Next season seems to be a promising season for the Cougars as they only lose two players in Tom Aase and Zach Wessels. They do keep good players such as Rothermund, Taylor, Slater and 2nd Team NSIC player Drew Guebert. As well as Evans who is coming off his historic season.
“If we can just keep what we had last season and gradually improve on that for next year, it will be a good year for us next season,” Evans says.
The clear-cut future for Trevon Evans is not fully decided yet. Ever since he was a toddler, his true love has been basketball and Evans hope that is something he can continue to do into his future.
“After basketball (at USF), I plan on trying to play ball overseas somewhere,” Evans says. “I’m not sure for whom, which country or which league, but I’ll go anywhere to be completely honest.”
From starting at 3 years old, Evans never thought he could come as far as he has come now. He has found the journey from Wichita, Kansas, to Sioux Falls, SD where he earned First Team NSIC rights.
Evans has one year of basketball yet at USF and while he is studying Criminal Justice, he still knows that basketball is something he hopes to do competitively for a long time.
