FAU went back into the transfer portal to fill their final scholarship, as on Monday afternoon Ken Evans Jr, a 6 ‘5 G from Jackson State announced via his personal Instagram that he would be transferring to FAU, filling the open spot left by Aj Staton-McCray.
Originally a native of Jackson, Mississippi and a son of Jackson State alumni, Evans Jr played the past 5 seasons for the Tigers where this past season he flourished, earning SWAC player of the year honors with averages of 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists across 32 games, all starts. Those career highs were a steady climb across the 4 years after his redshirt, as he averaged 4.6 points his freshman year, 8.0 his sophomore year, and 11.3 his junior year.
Evans Jr is a combo guard, with the ability to be a facilitator, while also being a major scorer, having the ability to create his own shot, while also being able to score off the pass. His biggest strength, however, is his ability to score off the drive, as 46% of his points last season came at the rim. He uses his 6’5 200-pound frame to bully defenders, having the size to back down defenders, but also the speed to blow by them and finish at the rim.
Defense has been a focal point of Evans Jr’s game, as he has the size to frustrate guard’s matchup wise, while also using his frame to rebound and jumpstart the offense into fast break situations. This past season he had 6 games with 8+ rebounds, including a career high of 10 against Gonzaga this past season, where he also scored 25.
His success against high major programs wasn’t a one off with Gonzaga, as he also scored 23 a week later against Northwestern, and earlier in the year he scored 20 against both Georgetown and Northwestern, and 18 against Memphis while also grabbing 9 boards.
His “big guard” ability will allow for him to be jack of all trades for FAU in terms of positioning, having the ability to play the 1, 2, or 3 on both ends of the court depending on the lineup the Owls deploy.
FAU has been linked to Evans Jr. since the early offseason, and when the roster spot opened following the departure of Staton-McCray, the Owls moved diligently in working with Evans to bring him to paradise, landing him over multiple P5 programs who were in pursuit. Although Staton-McCray and Evans Jr are not the same player, they bring similar traits to the table. FAU moving swiftly to bring Evans Jr in just a day after Staton-Mccray’s departure is critical, as it allows for him to be a part of summer workouts that start June 1st.
As it stands today, FAU will have some serious depth and length headed into next season with 8 players 6 ‘5 or taller, 3 of which could potentially play at the 2 in a guard role, between Evans Jr, Jakel Powell and Max Langenfeld.
Barring any further roster shakeups, Evans Jr should be the last scholarship addition for this Owls roster. To be able to get a player of Evans Jr’s skill set this late in the portal cycle is a huge accomplishment for this Owls staff, as they look to reload this roster with as much talent as possible headed into next season.
FAU has a majority of the roster on campus already and they have been fast at work on getting the group to gel with team activities such as yoga and over the next few days Evans Jr. will get to work alongside them.