By Mark Bennett
The importance of Indiana State's freshmen
basketball players seemed clear in Friday night's 85-68 exhibition
victory over Pella Windows in Hulman Center.
Even the one Sycamore freshman in street clothes
was part of Coach Royce Waltman's postgame thoughts. Darron Evans,
a 6-foot-7, 190-pound product of Chicago's Providence St. Mel
High School, did not suit up for the Pella game. He might sit
out games this season as a redshirt, giving him a chance to add
strength and skill for a year while preserving all four seasons
of his eligibility.
And then again, he might not.
"We're not sure," Waltman said of
Evans' situation afterward. "Ultimately, we won't make him
do anything he doesn't want to do. If he absolutely wants to
redshirt, then that's what we'll do. But, gee, we were thin out
there tonight. We were rotating about four guys. I just don't
want to do what's wrong for him, but it's going to be hard to
redshirt him."
In Friday's win, six different Sycamores scored
in double figures. Two were freshmen - point guard Lamar Grimes
and forward Jake Sams with 11 points each. The other freshman,
6-9 forward Jerod Adler, struggled through a 1-for-6 free throw
shooting night but added three rebounds in eight minutes of action.
The Sycamores' depth is fluctuating a bit
right now. On Friday, sophomore point guard Barry Welsh made
final his decision to transfer from ISU. And the Sycamores have
been without sophomore guard Marcus Howard for both exhibitions,
though the 6-3 starter could return for the Nov. 18 opener at
Illinois-Chicago.
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| Tribune-Star/Bob
Poynter |
| Shooting: ISU freshman Lamar
Grimes (10) had 11 points, six assists and two steals Friday
against Pella Windows. |
In the meantime, a decision will be made on
whether Evans will join that mix now or a year from now.
"Me and coach are going through practice
right now, seeing how I'm progressing. It's 50-50 right now,"
Evans said. "We're not sure. So we're going to just take
it slow. We're not going to rush anything. But we'll decide by
November 18."
Either way, Evans will accept the outcome.
"I'm OK with it, because I know it would
be better off for me in the long run. I'm not going to try to
fight Coach on this one," he said. "I'm just trying
to live up to my scholarship. When I get out there, I just want
to give them their money's worth for what they've got."
Waltman has already called him the Sycamores'
most athletic player. If the choice is for him to redshirt, Evans
would use the year to improve.
His goals? "Getting better all around,
getting quicker, put on a couple pounds, get my jump shot more
consistent, get my ball handling at a stage to get ready for
the season," Evans said.
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