The Class of 2024 gives us the first reintroduction of college coaches pushing out offers and aggressively pursuing worthy high school prospects since Covid. While plenty of guys are still fighting for the attention they deserve, someone like Isaiah Evans has simply been too impressive to ignore. Like a few other top prospects in the state, he's a prime example of Division I coaches being willing to extend offers in hopes of even being considered in the end. Currently, Evans holds 27 offers. While it seems almost unprecedented, he has consistently justified this level of praise, acknowledgment, and number of scholarships through his play on the court. Furthermore, Evans' extremely busy recruitment should be a reaffirming point for prospects who feel a need or inclination to transfer'as it's not always necessary to get to your desired result.
Through nine games this season, Evans is posting nightly averages of 26.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 2.5 SPG, and 1.0 BPG. He's transitioned into the clear, undisputed leader of a North Mecklenburg squad that graduated several key pieces. Keeping the ship afloat would be notable enough, but Evans is doing far more than just squeaking out wins. The long, dynamic 6-foot-7 wing prospect continues to showcase his ability to do legitimately everything on the basketball court. Whether setting the tone defensively, on the glass, or conducting the offense with poise, Evans knows how to affect winning. He scores the ball in a variety of different ways, applies pressure from all levels, and exploits mismatches whenever possible. Evans utilizes his excellent length and athleticism really well as a finisher, but also hits jumpers at an efficient rate from midrange and beyond the arc. He can reliably hit shots off the catch or create for himself and others off the bounce. Evans simply knows how to burden a heavy offensive load, and does so with phenomenal efficiency from all levels. The most impressive part' He's still progressing and should only get better over the coming years'which is crazy for someone who is already dominating on a game-to-game basis.
The Vikings are off to a perfect (9-0) start and Evans is a massive reason why. They've absolutely destroyed every opponent they've faced, only winning one game by less than 22 points thus far. The path to this point has been a long, winding road, as Evans has elevated from JV player (as a freshman) to being arguably the most talented prospect on a senior-laden roster (as a sophomore) to being the obvious leader now as a junior. There is currently no end in sight for Evans and his cohorts, as they look likely to continue rolling through the remainder of the month and (possibly) the regular season. It's still early, but a deep playoff run from the Vikings would surprise no one.