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Wednesday, Jun. 30
Heshimu Evans
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EXPERT ANALYSIS
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"Heshimu Evans is a lefthander that hurt teams with his transition ability, his opportunistic 3s, and his offensive rebounding skills running in from the wing position. Evans runs the floor, often down the left side. Teams that were successful in slowing him down kept contact with him in transition and limited him to 2-point shots, rather than 3s, and kept him off the glass.
Evans improved his jumpshot and became more of a catch-and-shoot threat during his senior year, but his shooting consistency remains a question. He plays with energy and enthusiasm and changes the game when he gets in there. His handle improved, but he still needs work on his skills. Evans does not fit conveniently into a big guard or small forward slot, but he can be a valuable commodity because he can defend and run the court, and teams will have a tough time matching up with him. He could wind up as a Mario Elie-type in the NBA if he can improve his perimeter shot. Heshimu Evans fills holes in the lineup, and most NBA teams have holes to fill."
-- ESPN's Jay Bilas
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College: Kentucky
Height: 6-6
Weight: 215 pounds
Position: Forward
Age: 24
(May 8, 1975)
Birthplace: New York, N.Y.
Career highlights
Totaled 1,500 points and 706 rebounds in his four-year career split between Manhattan College (N.Y.) and Kentucky
Was one of Kentucky' tri-captains
Name, Heshimu (pronounced Ha-SHEE-mu) means "strong warrior" in Swahili
Started 39 games in two years at Kentucky and 41 in two years at Manhattan
Finished with career highs of 31 points (12-12-98), 12 rebounds (2-28-98) and six assists (six times)
Registered four double-doubles during his career at Kentucky
At Nike Desert Classic, averaged 6.3 rebounds, 5.7 points and 2.0 assists
College highlights
Senior
As a fifth-year senior, finished second on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg)
Scored in double figures in 15 of last 18 games
In the NCAA Tournament, averaged 13.0 points and a team-leading 5.2 rebounds per game
Played three different positions for the Wildcats: small forward, power forward and shooting guard
Finished eighth in the SEC in free-throw shooting (.734)
Named SEC Player of the Week in December after averaging 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3 assists in two games against Maryland and Indiana
Junior
As a redshirt junior, was considered one of the top sixth men in the country
Scored 8.8 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 53.6 percent from the field for the NCAA National Champions
Shot 62.5 percent from the field during the Wildcats' NCAA Tournament run
Reached the 1,000-point plateau for his college career
Recorded three double-doubles (points-rebounds), including a 14-point, 11-rebound performance against Duke in the NCAA Regional Finals
Sat out the 1996-97 season as a redshirt after transferring to Kentucky
Sophomore
Played at Manhattan College in New York City and earned first team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference honors
Led the team in scoring (13.9 ppg) and assists (3.1 apg)
Scored 20 or more points on five occasions
Hit four 3-pointers and scored season-high 28 points versus Canisius
Grabbed season-high 12 rebounds versus Notre Dame
Freshman
Averaged 12.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for Manhattan. Earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Was fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.519)
College statistics
SEASON |
G |
FGM |
FGA |
PCT |
FTM |
FTA |
PCT |
REB |
AST |
PTS |
AVG |
1997-98 | 39 | 135 | 252 | .536 | 54 | 86 | .628 | 210 | 62 | 342 | 8.8
| 1998-99 | 37 | 155 | 335 | .463 | 94 | 128 | .734 | 189 | 112 | 435 | 11.8
| TOTALS | 76 | 290 | 587 | .494 | 148 | 214 | .692 | 399 | 174 | 777 | 10.2
| Three-point field goals: 1997-98, 18-for-51 (.353); 1998-99, 31-for-107 (.290) Totals: 49-for-158 (..310 ).
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| Manhattan College (New York)
| SEASON | G | FGM | FGA | PCT | FTM | FTA | PCT | REB | AST | PTS | AVG
| 1994-95 | 27 | 135 | 260 | .519 | 56 | 88 | .636 | 136 | 58 | 335 | 12.4
| 1995-96 | 29 | 143 | 344 | .416 | 79 | 133 | .594 | 174 | 90 | 388 | 13.9
| TOTALS | 56 | 278 | 604 | .460 | 135 | 221 | .611 | 310 | 148 | 723 | 12.9
| Three-point field goals: 1994-95, 9-for-29 (.310); 1995-96, 23-for-64 (.359); Totals: 32-for-93 (.344 ).
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