Freshman To Watch: Kwame Evans Jr. (2023)

A lot of great players have come out of the Baltimore area. Many of which had made impacts on the biggest stages of the game. These types of players do not come along often and very rarely do you see that potential in a prospect in their first year of high school. But if I was a betting man, I’d put my money on 2023 Poly freshman Kwame Evans Jr. to be the next big-time player to come out of this city.

First and foremost is his size. Evans is a legitimate 6-foot-8 and still looks to have a couple of more inches to grow. His wingspan to go along with that size falls into the elite category. At his age, there are still many parts of his game and body that need work before he becomes anywhere near a finished product, but considering the coaches, trainers and family that Evans is surrounded with, there’s a good chance he will check all the boxes.

The fact that Evans is a starter on a team as talented as Poly, who recently earned the No. 19 ranking in ESPN’s Top 25, should give you enough of an idea of just how good he is. Evans was heavily recruited coming out of middle school but chose Poly as his destination and it seems to be paying off in the early stages.

“My freshman season is going great,” Evans told Prep Hoops. “Getting to learn more every day and getting to play with and against these guys every day has made me much better. The pace of the high school game is definitely much faster and the physicality is a huge difference.”

Those guys that Evans is referring to include: 2020 Justin Lewis (Marquette commit), 2020 Brandon Murray (multiple Division I offers and most recently received an offer from DePaul), 2020 Rahim Ali (multiple Division I offers) and that’s just naming a few.

Evans and Lewis (6-foot-8) bring the size to the starting lineup, but both are very much threats from all three levels. Evans can really get it going from beyond the arc. He has a quick release on his jumper and gets textbook rotation on the basketball on its flight to the rim. Poly’s entire starting lineup are capable scorers from just about anywhere on the floor, so Evans has been the beneficiary of kick-out passes from penetrating guards or a double-teamed Lewis in the post.

Evans is already equipped with the coordination and skill set for his size to be a great rebounder and has exhibited the ability to push the ball himself in transition. He makes sound decisions with the ball and can finish with either hand both over or under the rim.

He’s yet to fill out his frame, but then again, no freshman who is almost 6-foot-9 is anywhere near filled out due to the natural maturation process. He is aware that the one focus going forward in improving his game will to become more physical and stronger in the weight room.

To see how Evans has handled his freshman season at Poly has been impressive. The coaching staff raves about his willingness to be coached and corrected when making mistakes. Evans also has a great resource as a mentor in his teammate and Marquette commit Justin Lewis.

“Justin helps me a lot,” Evans continued, “he just always talks to me about how high school will be for me these next couple of years and how to get better.”

Evans not only stands out on the floor. He boasts an impressive 3.6 GPA.

He currently holds offers from Virginia Tech, DePaul, Auburn George Washington and San Diego State.