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 KENT, OH – Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff, who has been on the job less than a week, on Wednesday (April 13) announced the signing of 6’7” forward Chris Evans (Chesapeake, Va. / Wabash Valley C.C. [Ill.]) and 6’4” guard Kris Brewer (Memphis, Tenn. / Brehm Prep [Ill.]).
“We received verbal commitments from both players in the middle of this past season, so it is especially gratifying that they stayed with our program through the coaching change,” said Senderoff who had been the Golden Flashes’ Associate Head Coach for the past three years.
A First Team NJCAA Division I All-American, Evans makes his way to Kent State from Wabash Valley Community College in Illinois. He will be a junior in 2011-12 and have two years of eligibility remaining. This past season, he averaged 19.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while leading Wabash Valley to a 29-7 record and a regional title. The Region 24 Player of the Year, he also took home All-Tournament honors at the NJCAA National Tournament, averaging 21.7 points over three games. He was rated the 17th best junior college player in the country at the start of the season by Rivals.com.
“We recruited Chris out of high school and are very pleased to finally having him join our program two years later,” said Senderoff. “He is a multidimensional wing and his athleticism should give us an immediate lift defensively, as well as provide a capable scoring option from the perimeter.”
A product of Petersburg High School in Richmond, Evans attended Coastal Carolina as a college freshman before transferring to Wabash. At Petersburg he was named Second Team All-State and was rated the 73rd-best shooting guard in the country. Averaging 15.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game he helped lead the team to a 30-1 record and a berth in the Group AAA state semifinals in 2008-09.
“Chris has been part of a winning program everywhere he has been,” said Senderoff. “He played for a well respected coach in Dan Sparks at Wabash Valley which will certainly help him step in right away with our program.”
Brewer joins Kent State as a freshman in 2011-12 after spending the past year play for Brehm Prep in Carbondale, Ill. A native of Memphis, Tenn. he played for coach Wes Henning at Ridgeway High School, which also produced Mincy before his playing career with the Golden Flashes. Before Brehm Prep, he played AAU for the Memphis Magic and was part of a Class AAA State Championship at Ridgeway.
“Kris is an extremely versatile guard with the ability to make shots and break down the defense off the dribble,” said Senderoff. “As talented as he is on the court, we were even more impressed with his character. He is a terrific kid that comes from a great family and an outstanding basketball program.”
Last November, he poured in a game high 25 points against No. 1 Findlay Prep at the Team Works National Classic. ESPN.com ranks him as a three-star recruit and the 57th best shooting guard in the country. According to the ESPN.com web site, he is the highest rated commitment of any team in the Mid-American Conference.
“The more we saw Kris play, the more we wanted him to come to Kent State,” added Senderoff. “Our coaching staff is looking forward to next year with Kris in the line-up and the contributions he can make to the team on both ends of the floor.”
Courtesy of Kent State Athletics |
