Although rankings are an extremely arbitrary practice, they are still a useful tool for discussion points and general debate. As it's been stated countless times before: rankings do not matter. However, they do exist. Folks love to get excitable to lend their personal perspective on a given player or situation, but context and sample size simply outweigh most of these anecdotes. If James Posey outplayed Dwyane Wade in one game, would it warrant folks calling Posey 'better' than Wade' Of course not. So, it's important to see the bigger picture and, ultimately, realize that these are opinions largely based on preference. That being said, the entire state of North Carolina should be on board with the thought that Isaiah Evans is a top-five player within his class. Here's why…
For starters, it's worth noting that this article is simply another reiteration of Evans' budding greatness. This isn't new knowledge. We've written about him numerous times over the summer and into the current high school season, mainly trying to emphasize how not enough people are talking about this potentially special player'literally using those exact words. Regardless, we've finally arrived at a point where the ideology is no longer up for debate. Between the last six months, his current production, and ridiculous (yet attainable) upside, nearly every Division I program in the country should be laying groundwork. To think that he only holds a single Hampton offer, even as a sophomore, is actually somewhat staggering. His recruiting process should become a zoo in the next year or so, as his offer sheet will eventually unfurl like a kid's Christmas list to Santa. But why so certain'
Well, Evans simply has 'it.' While it's not necessarily tangible or quantifiable, he clearly possesses something unique beyond his impressive basketball ability. Sure, he's an extremely long, athletic wing with IQ, size, and skill. Yes, his intangibles are incredible. He does have all the qualities that should be identifiable to the naked eye, but there's truly something more. Perhaps it's the way he got to this point. Rather than being anointed as the next big thing at nine or ten years old, Evans seemingly burst onto the scene amidst a complete transformation while in high school. Now, it's amazing to see how far the Team United and North Mecklenburg product has come in such a short period of time. Evans is already a legitimately dominant player with the mentality, versatile skillset, and two-way presence to only continue trending upward. Right now, he's conservatively a top-five player in North Carolina's Class of 2024.