Ivan Evans Signs With Racer Basketball

Murray State head basketball coach Billy Kennedy announced the signing of forward Ivan Evans from Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan. Evans will be a junior at MSU in the fall and has two years of eligibility with the Racers.

Evans (6-4, 200) is a forward that has a reputation for being an excellent all around player.

Barton head coach Craig Fletchall said Evans was a cornerstone to his team that went 27-7 last season and missed qualifying for the National Junior College Tournament by one game. “He's never missed a game or a practice,” Fletchall said. “Ivan has a chance to do some great things at the next level and I think in a structured program like MSU he's going to improve even more.”

Kennedy described Evans as a great fit for the MSU program, “Ivan has started more than 50 games over the last two years; His strength and athleticism allows him to play three positions.”

Last season as a sophomore with the Cougars, Evans was the team's second leading scorer with 15 points per game, and he also led the team in rebounding at 9.0 per game, which was fourth best in the Jayhawk Conference. Evans averaged 30 minutes of playing time per game, second best on the squad and he was named Jayhawk Conference Honorable Mention.

As a freshman in the 2005-06 season, Evans earned runner-up Freshman of the Year honors in the Jayhawk Conference.

Evans was an All-Public League selection from Germantown HS in Philadelphia, Pa. in 2003-04; he sat out the 2004-05 season.

Fletchall said Evans was particularly outstanding in a regional loss to rival Coffeeville CC; when he scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a game that decided the Region-6 representative to the NJCAA National Championship.

“The thing I remember the most from that game was that the stakes were high and Ivan did all he could to get us to the national tournament,” Fletchall said. “He finished the year strong in the Jayhawk Conference, a very strong league.”

Evans helped BCCC win 45 games in his two seasons with the Cougars.

“I've known Billy Kennedy and Steve Prohm for a long time and they go after the right kind of kids and character is important to them and Ivan is that kind of kid,” Fletchall added. “Murray State is getting a mature kid who can play a lot of minutes right away.”

“Ivan has been prepared to have instant success by coach Fletchall and his staff," Kennedy added.

Ivan Evans joins Jewaun Long of Jackson, Tenn. Liberty Tech HS and Matt Fraliex of Caldwell County HS, Princeton, Ky. as the Murray State class of 2007.

Murray State University Athletics

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