Gophers basketball recruit Dennis Evans III makes national watch list

The 7-footer from Riverside, Calif., signed with the Gophers 2023 recruiting class last week. He's among 50 players on the Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year watch list.

November 17, 2022 at 6:49AM
Five-star California center Dennis Evans made his official visit to the University of Minnesota in late September. (Marcus Fuller, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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 7-1 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.

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about the writer

Marcus Fuller

Reporter

Marcus Fuller covers Gophers men's basketball, national college basketball, college sports and high school recruiting for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

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