For Mike Evanovich ’09, decisions on the court are easy: shoot or keep moving the ball.
“Mike’s a catch-and-shoot kind of guy,” said Head Coach Ed Cooley of his transfer forward, who had just torched St. Peter’s to the tune of 19 points.
Decisions off the court, though, have not always been so simple for Evanovich. His collegiate start marred by transition, Evanovich is finally beginning to find a groove in a career that began in a most unpredictable way.
Unpredictable was not always the case for Evanovich. A native of Storrs, Conn., his high school career screamed of greatness: conference player of the year in his junior and senior season, All-State honorable mention, a spot on the McDonald’s All-American team.
Evanovich, however, resisted potential scholarships.
He chose to play an extra season at South Kent Prep, a rural college preparatory school known for mainly one thing: basketball. A vignette on “60 Minutes” and several New York Times features can attest to the fact that South Kent is a veritable breeding ground for up-and-coming basketball athletes.
Evanovich said he believed that an extra year of playing at a premier prep school would further enhance his stock and potentially propel him into a major conference school.
He was right. South Kent Prep finished that season 13-9, and Evanovich was one of the team’s many stars.
After that successful season, premier basketball colleges came knocking yet again.
“I had a few offers from Patriot League schools and Atlantic-10 Schools,” said Evanovich, who is about as unassuming as a Division-I player can be. “Then Iowa State came in with the offer, and I really took it before I even saw it because it was a Big-XII school.”
“I wanted to see if I could make it out there [in a big program],” he added.
Iowa State Coach Wayne Morgan and his Cyclones gave Evanovich the chance of a lifetime; it was an opportunity to play in the limelight at a Big-XII school in the “Bible Belt” of college basketball. The Cyclones were coming off an NCAA tournament appearance, which included a thrilling opening-round win over favored Minnesota.
Evanovich encountered the typical routine most freshmen recruits face at a major college basketball program. Learn from the best, run the scout team, and prepare yourself for the rivalry games and NCAA bids to come.
Or so he thought.
“When I got through freshman year, coach [Morgan] was fired right after the season ended,” said Evanovich.
Change, in this case, was not necessarily a good thing.
“The guy they hired, Greg McDermott, came from Northern Iowa, who was our rival. Although I think I could have fit into his system, I honestly did not get along with him personally,” said Evanovich. “I felt like I needed to leave.”
As Evanovich searched for answers and looked, he immediately went to South Kent Prep Coach Raphael Chillious for some much-needed help.
“[Chillious] knew [Cooley] from Boston College. He was the connection for me,” said Evanovich. “In the end, it came down to here or Loyola. I chose to come here after I visited both schools.”
The move back to Connecticut was far from seamless. Aside from adjusting to a new program, Evanovich was forced to sit out a season of eligibility, as per NCAA transfer rules.
“It was rough to have to sit and watch, especially knowing that you want to be out there and help the team,” said Evanovich.
As difficult as it was, Evanovich worked diligently to find his role and prepare for the potential opportunities that lay ahead. In fact, he credits much of his current success to the extra work he put in one season ago.
“Last year, it was about me being on scout team trying to get the team ready. Now, this year, I’m looking at the scout team from the other side,” he said. “Now I’m trying to learn what the other team is going to do and know how to react.”
That lengthy season on the bench ended on a Friday night in Winston-Salem, and Evanovich and the Stags could not have scripted a better beginning: 20 points against Wake Forest. After a performance like that, it was conceivable that Fairfield had found the answer to the loss of graduated guard Michael Van Schaick ’07.
But the positive atmosphere quickly changed.
“I kind of hit a slump,” said Evanovich.
The remaining out-of-conference games were not so kind. He struggled against Holy Cross in the team’s second game, totaling only five points in 27 minutes. Against Sacred Heart, Evanovich missed seven of his nine shots.
It seemed the inconsistency that led him to Fairfield had followed him from Iowa.
A few dismal shooting performances later and Evanovich had played himself to the bench. Beginning with a road game at Cincinnati, he managed only 48 minutes in a five-game span.
Fairfield lost all five of those games.
“As any coach has to deal with, the coach has to find the rotation … and see it work,” said Evanovich. “Coach Cooley had to find what works.”
A 3-1 start to the conference schedule gave the illusion that Fairfield had finally found the continuity it was missing early in the season. However, Fairfield has still shown signs of inconsistency.
Regardless of the Stags’ current standing, the team is reaching the breaking point in the season.
“I hope we can put it together as a whole team for three games in March,” said Evanovich.
If the Stags have any chance of putting it together, Evanovich will be a key piece to the Stags’ big picture.
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