PODCAST: NC State’s new center, Kyle Evans, joins the podcast

Question: What’s up Pack fans, we’re back again and we got another guest. We finally got Matthew on. We’re here with Kyle Evans. This is our NC State’s new center. Kyle, 6’10”, 3.3 blocks per game, nation’s block leader last year coming from UC Irvine. Can you just give us your story? First off, how are you doing, and thanks for joining us. Let us know how you’re doing, where you’re at, and then go into your story.

Kyle Evans: Yeah, no, I’m doing great. I’m currently in Irvine. We’re in week six out of the 10-week quarters, so I still have like four weeks of school left. I’m a student-athlete. But other than that, I’m doing well. I’m staying in the gym, working out, still hanging with my teammates before I leave.

As far as my story goes, I’d say it’s fairly unique. My high school career, I played baseball and basketball and I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go going into my senior year. Growing up, I was more of a baseball guy and then I was tall, so I picked up basketball when I was probably seven or eight. I played both for 10 years. I didn’t know which direction I wanted to go post high school. So I started applying to schools just as a normal student because I didn’t have much attention for either.

I played my basketball season in the winter. I didn’t have a great role. I was kind of a screener, roller, rebounder, defender. Played the baseball season, same thing, no attention. Then I decided to play in some unsigned senior stuff in the spring for basketball. I started playing well. I had some good games against good teams. I probably finished with 10 or 15 offers because I advertised that I was going to do a post-grad year at Southern California Academy. So I was getting a bunch of offers for a class of 23 even though I was graduating in 22.

I had told schools, hey, look, if you have a spot right now, I’m graduating in a couple months. If you’re willing to take me now, that’s what I want to do. I ended up going to Colorado State. They had a spot because David Roddy had just gotten drafted, and they held his scholarship. That spot opened up for me. It was my first year there. Obviously, it was a bit of a change. I got there late in August, so I missed the whole summer. That was a big adjustment for me.

I started playing. I had a little bit of role getting carved out towards the conference slate. I played in the first two conference games. My first game where I played over 10-15 minutes was at a sold-out Pit in New Mexico, which was kind of surreal. The next game was San Jose State. Then the practice right after that, I broke my thumb, and it took me out for the year right as I started getting a role carved out.

Spring workouts rolled around and I just wasn’t myself. Next year started and I was dealing with some mental stuff. It was hard for me to feel like myself again. So I didn’t play much my second year. Didn’t get much of an opportunity. Decided to come to UC Irvine, which is home. I’m from here. I knew the staff already. This felt like an easy change for me.

Last year, my third year, I didn’t have the biggest role. I was playing 12 minutes a game. I was more of a backup for our starter. Making that big jump to this year, I knew I had a big role to fill and our team needed me to step up. So I stayed in the gym and took that challenge head on. My teammates having to trust me to have their back and me having to trust in them to do the same led to a good result. We had a good year. Won the conference outright. Lost in the conference tournament championship, which is a game we should have won, but that’s neither here nor there. My story is kind of unique.

Question: You played baseball in high school. I have a theory that some of the best athletes are dual sport athletes that played baseball. You have like the Patrick Mahomes, the Russell Wilsons. What are your thoughts on that? And what do you think baseball kind of gave to you leading into your basketball game?

Kyle Evans: I think the biggest thing is hand-eye coordination. A baseball is only however big and a basketball is a lot bigger. So catching a basketball became a lot easier for me. I know that’s something bigs struggle with — catching dump-offs and being ready and having the timing. Catching a 90-mile-an-hour fastball helped me catch a dump-off from a point guard coming down the lane. That’s probably the biggest thing for me as far as translation.

Question: Watching your video, I thought that there was a lot of… I heard you talk about that you’ve always been the biggest guy on your team. I feel like you move really well for that. Usually when somebody moves so well as a 6’10 guy, usually they’re a late bloomer. Like maybe they were a guard. What do you attribute that to? Is that also baseball footwork?

Kyle Evans: Probably. But when I was younger, I was always just doing random stuff. Because I had an older brother, I was always trying to emulate what he was doing. I’d watch someone on TV and I’d try and figure out their batting stance or the way they run, the way they throw. Just trying to emulate different things helped my athleticism in the long run. And then just staying active and thinking I can do it. That sounds weird, but just thinking I can do it and knowing I can move like that helps me do it.

Question: You went through an injury. Fans have no clue how hard it is for a player to get injured and even come back. You carved out a role as a freshman and you were starting to work your way in and then you break your thumb and you’re out for the year. What does that do? You talked about coming into the next year battling some different mental things. How trying were those two years at Colorado State? How do you feel like those two years really formed you to be the person you are today and the player you are now?

Kyle Evans: Sitting out on the sideline, you learn so much. I was around really great players and leaders at Colorado State. Sitting there and picking their brain when they came off the floor — you see so many different things when you can see the whole floor and you’re not on the floor. Trying to absorb as much information as I could helped me slow the game down because the change of pace is the biggest change when it comes from high school to college.

When I was healthy and trying to get back into the rhythm, seeing and doing are two completely different things. But knowing the right play to make and knowing the right read to make made that transition a little bit easier when I was coming back and being healthy.

Question: During last year, were you surprised at all when you were looking at the stat line and you were leading all of college basketball in blocks per game? Or was it like, hey, I work for this. This is what I expected.

Kyle Evans: No, it’s kind of crazy. I joke with one of my coaches here. In the spring of last year, he came up to me and said, hey man, we need you to make a big step next year. I need you to go get 100 blocks. I looked at him like, 100 blocks? Who do you think I am? That’s unreal. Then four or five games through the season I was in the top five in blocks. Someone sent it to me and I was like, oh my gosh, that’s unbelievable.

I tried not to keep an eye on it because I think that was a little bit of a distraction. But people were telling me where I was at throughout the year. As it got closer to the end of the year, it was hard for me not to look at it. It was surreal. I never thought that I would be leading the country in blocks. Even saying it out loud sounds crazy. I hit my 100 and then went past it too.

Question: You went from 148 to 115? Was there a moment when you hit that 100 where your coach was like, hey, I was able to hit that 100 mark?

Kyle Evans: Yeah. We always joke about it because I told him when he told me that he was crazy. Right as I hit that 100 mark, he came up to me the next day and said, it doesn’t sound so crazy now, does it? I was like, oh man, you were right the whole time. Having that staff that had the belief in me to go out there and exceed my own expectations was the biggest help for me in making that jump.

Question: What do you think it is that is allowing you to be so successful protecting the rim? Watching your video, it seems like you’re quick off the floor. A lot of times you get 6’10 guys who are anchored to the floor. You’re quick off the floor. You’re upright and you’re just getting a ton of blocks. Is it that it’s surprising to people? Or you’re just a little bit more quick twitch than most?

Kyle Evans: Yeah, I would say it is surprising to people. But our whole defense here at Irvine was predicated on the center being the goalie. Protecting everything at the rim and having everyone’s backs. I take a lot of pride in being a team guy. If you tell me to have someone’s back, I’m going to do it, whatever it takes. A lot of the times our guards would get beat, but I’d be right there to have their back and make that play. Knowing that they were relying on me made me a little bit more motivated to make it happen.

Question: Do you have any idea how many blocks you were ahead by? You were the only person in the nation to average over three.

Kyle Evans: I want to say it’s somewhere around 20, but I don’t know. You had 10 more blocks than I think it’s Anjenso at UVA. He played a few more games than we did.

Question: Thinking about your game, that block number gets all the attention. But from your scoring and your rebounding and everything else, do you feel like sometimes the holistic nature of your game can kind of get missed just by the block numbers?

Kyle Evans: The biggest thing for me is I want to impact winning. Whatever way I can do that, I’ll do it. I get a lot of attention on the defensive end, which I take probably the most pride in. Coach Gainey’s pitch to me was developing on offense and making that leap to get to the next level on the offensive end. Improving that side of the floor and even the defensive end — stepping out on the perimeter and guarding a little bit more. That was really attractive to me. Continuing to develop that is something I’m really excited to attack.

Question: Take us through that pitch. You ended up your season with Irvine. You decided to go into the portal. At what point did NC State get involved? What was the pitch like and the visit like?

Kyle Evans: They did come in a little bit late. One day my agent texted me, hey, NC State really likes you. They want to do a Zoom tonight. Would you be willing to do that? I said yeah, absolutely. That was the first time I had a Zoom set up like that in the same day. The whole staff got on and gave a little spiel. That meant a lot to me. That made me feel like they really wanted me and I was a focal point.

A few days later we set up a visit. They were really willing to work with my schedule, which meant a lot. Went on the visit — only in Raleigh for 30 hours maybe, maybe less. It just felt like home. Riding around, them showing me the facilities, going around town, and seeing how much the people love the school and how much people love the basketball team and want to have a successful program really drew me in.

I texted my agent at the airport, hey, look, I really like it here. Let’s do it. So I committed in the airport right before I got on my connecting flight to Atlanta, and then landed in Atlanta and posted my commitment graphic. It happened really fast, but it was great. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Question: The pitch for you is to be anchored at the five spot. Is there a chance they land someone else as a backup to the five and there’s times you move to the four?

Kyle Evans: I would call myself more of a five. To be quite frank, I don’t know who entirely they’re looking at right now. But if they did get someone who is bigger than me, I think I can play the four just with the way I move and some of the reads I can make. But more naturally, I’m more of a five.

Question: When they talked about developing you offensively, did they walk through specific ways? Did they show you tape and walk through the steps you can take to develop offensively?

Kyle Evans: Yeah, we sat down in the film room, watched some film, watched some of my clips compared to the offense that coach plans on running in the system, and then some defensive clips as well. On the offensive end, the three main things talked about were expanding range — shooting the ball more. Making decisions out of the short roll. And getting fouled more. I had a great percentage from the line — I think 78% or something like that off 99 attempts. So getting to the foul line more and getting those free points. Those were the three main things that I think will help elevate my game.

Question: You’re going to be surrounded by shooters at NC State. You’re going to have Edney, Hammond — two 40% shooters at guard. Paul McNeil Jr is back, that’s a 43% shooter from three. And Yalaho, a 40% shooter at the four. You’re going to have some space down there.

Kyle Evans: Yeah, it definitely makes my job easy if the defenders are hugging my teammates out on the three-point line. That’ll give me a lot of room to operate and hopefully some butt-naked layups.

Question: Out of curiosity, you’re walking into a unique situation with a first-year head coach. Is there something intriguing about being able to play for a coach who’s coming back to play for his alma mater? Does that bring a different level of juice and energy?

Kyle Evans: Yeah, absolutely. I think that’s a testament to the school and the way the city is and the program that he wants to build. Being a part of that first team, I think it’s a phenomenal opportunity to set the foundation of the culture that he wants to create. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of two programs that have excellent cultures. Coach Gainey and the whole staff talk about development. Having good people around you that you want to compete for and you know they’ll compete for you makes it so much easier to lay everything on the line.

The staff he put together had like 128 years of Division One basketball experience. Just knowing that that experience is around me and the knowledge is around me makes me excited to see how good I can get.

Question: On your visit, where did they take you? Did they take you to any special restaurants?

Kyle Evans: We went to dinner on the first night at Fleming’s Steakhouse. For breakfast the next day we went to the Flying Biscuit, which was excellent. I’ve never had any food like that before. And then we went to The Pit, the barbecue spot. Same thing, we don’t have any barbecue like that in California. That was the cherry on top. I got some ribs. If you guys have any recommendations, I’ve got you. I’m willing to take it.

Question: In a non-sport related question, you mentioned you’re still in class. What are you studying? What are you getting your degree in?

Kyle Evans: I’m getting a degree in sociology. This is probably my hardest quarter of school yet. Why sociology? I tried to get into the business school. I was in business at Colorado State, and the business school here is super competitive. Our academic advisor said sociology was probably the next best bet, so I took her advice. It’s not my favorite thing in the world. I probably wouldn’t do it as a profession, but it’s interesting. It’s a different way of thinking.

Question: Do you have any goals outside of basketball when your career is done?

Kyle Evans: Outside of basketball, obviously I want to play professionally and go as far as this thing will take me. As far as a professional career in the job force, I don’t know. I try not to think about it.

Question: What is your perception coming into this of what the NC State fan base is like?

Kyle Evans: Everything I’ve seen and heard, I’m really excited about. When I made that commitment post in the airport, when I landed in California I think I gained like 400 followers on Instagram, which was unreal for me. On my visit we were walking through the spray paint tunnel and these students walked by and they knew who I was and they told me they wanted me to join the team. I never get recognized on my own campus, so getting recognized somewhere else is pretty cool. That was a testament to how the city and school feels about athletics, and basketball specifically. I wanted to go somewhere that loves the basketball team and wants to be good and wants success. Having that support behind us is really important.

Question:  Kyle, we really appreciate you jumping on, giving us a rundown of your story. NC State fans are super excited to see you play. Get those classes finished up, and we’ll see you when you’re back in Raleigh.

Kyle Evans: Yes, sir. I appreciate it, guys. Nice to meet you. Take it easy. Go Wolfpack.