UC Irvine transfer C Kyle Evans commits to NC State
NC State coach Justin Gainey wants to have a deep front line of forwards to deploy in his first season at the helm. The Pack added to its crop of big men after earning a commitment from UC Irvine center Kyle Evans following his official visit Tuesday evening.
The 6-foot-10, 210-pound post player has one season of eligibility remaining, which he will use with the Wolfpack. He ranks as the No. 102 overall player to have entered the transfer portal this offseason, according to On3.
Evans is coming off a career-best campaign in his second season with the Anteaters. He posted 12.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and an NCAA-leading 3.3 blocks (also paced the country with 115 total blocks) in 28.6 minutes across 35 starts this past year, posting a 62 percent shooting mark from the field.
The Aliso Viejo, Calif., native logged 26 double-figure scoring efforts to finish second in scoring on the UC Irvine roster. He dropped a season-best 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting in the Anteaters’ 74-73 win over North Dakota State on Dec. 21.
While the scoring is a positive, Evans’ strength is being a rim protector. He earned Big West Defensive Player of the Year and first team all-conference honors with his elite shot-blocking ability this past season, highlighted by turning in 22 games with three or more blocks. Evans posted a season-high eight blocks twice, doing so against Northern Iowa (Nov. 22) and Hawaii (Jan. 29).
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Before Evans emerged as the nation’s best shot-swatter, he averaged 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.0 minutes as a junior at UC Irvine. He began his collegiate career at Colorado State, where he appeared in 20 total games in his two seasons in Fort Collins.
Evans was a dual-sport athlete at Rancho (Calif.) Santa Margarita High, earning All-Trinity League second team honors, while he also pitched on the school’s baseball team.
NC State now owns three transfer portal commitments under Gainey. Evans joins Santa Clara shooting guard Christian Hammond and Hofstra point guard Preston Edmead as the Wolfpack’s Division I transfer additions over the past week.