A coach is so many things to his player.
As Washington State head coach Ernie Kent summed up at Pac-12 Med ia Day in San Francisco in mid-October, “We’re moms, we’re dads, we’re brothers, we’re motivators, we’re disciplinarians, we’re counselors — all those come under the hat of coach.”
You’ll notice he didn’t say friends.
Which leads us to Shannon Evans II and Bobby Hurley.
The former Buffalo point guard reunited with his former head coach in Tempe, and after sitting out last year as a redshirt, this pair of once-Braves, now-Sun Devils is poised for big things. Evans calls himself a pit bull on a chain, and when he transferred, he singled out his budding friendship with the former Duke star point guard as a motivating factor for his decision.
He even used the term “best friend,” which is a bold claim from a college player about his coach.
And then you think about what it must be like to learn the point guard position from a Bobby Hurley. The intimate knowledge downloaded from master to apprentice, the absolute smallest creases of the smallest of nuances of the game. Basketball, down to its atoms, putting the pro in protons.
“He goes in depth,” Evans said. “A lot of people think he’s a hothead. But when he talked about his life aside from basketball, it’s inspirational. He tells us his story. We all try to get as much wisdom as we can. He’s a great guy. A lot see him as the Duke player who won two championships, but if you get to know him, you’ll know he’s much more.”
Funny thing is, Evans didn’t much know him for his Blue Devil exploits when his recruitment began. His father and grandfather were ecstatic. They had to explain the lore.
Two-time NCAA National Champion (1991, 1992), Final Four Most Outstanding Player, First-Team All-American, the list goes on. One of the premier point guards in the history of the sport.
“To be honest, I didn’t know anything about him,” he says. “I knew the name, grew up as a Duke fan. I didn’t know what he accomplished. As soon as (dad and granddad) heard, they went insane. Them being in my ear, hearing all those great stories, that had an impact.”
He’d soon develop stories of his own.
As a freshman, Evans carved out a major role, averaged 8.5 points and 3.3 assists, but still butted heads with Hurley. He says it bluntly: “Freshman year was hard, I was a baby, and I had a lot of growing up to do.”
Heart-to-hearts with Hurley formed the basis of the friendship that has blossomed, particularly, “Once I realized he would do anything to see me succeed and not fail. He knows how to give us freedom and discipline at the same time.”
As a sophomore, Evans truly emerged, averaging 15.4 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds for Buffalo’s first NCAA Tournament team. He was a second-team all-conference player.
And then Hurley left.
And then Evans left.
“He’s a guy I trust,” Evans said. “I’m loyal to him. He helped me. I wouldn’t be where I am without him. He’s help me become a student of the game.”
“Today in practice he taught me something I never thought I’d learn,” Evans said. “Every day is something new. Going baseline, he said keep my dribble alive, and look behind me. It was a small thing. But being with him for four years, I can’t imagine how many small things.”
