Gophers basketball recruit Evans makes national watch list

Gophers basketball recruit Dennis Evans III was selected Wednesday among the top 50 players on the Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year watch list.

Evans, a 7-foot-1 center at Riverside Hillcrest in California, starts his senior season as a candidate for one of the most prestigious national player of the year awards.

On Nov. 9, Evans officially signed with the Gophers as their highest rated recruit since Hopkins' Kris Humphries in 2003. The five-star prospect is ranked No. 13 in the 2023 class by Rivals, 27th by 247Sports and 28th by Prep Hoops. The U's top 25 recruiting class also included Illinois senior guard Cameron Christie.

As a junior at Hillcrest, Evans averaged 11 points, 10 rebounds, and seven blocks per game in 2021-22, which included five 10-block performances or better. Evans had nine points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks in his season debut Monday in a win against Citrus Valley.

The last Gophers recruit to be named to the Naismith boys national player of the year watch list was former Hopkins star Amir Coffey in 2015.