Ex-Buffalo guard Shannon Evans visiting Arizona State
Former Buffalo point guard Shannon Evans is visiting his former coach and Arizona State this weekend.
As a sophomore last season, Evans averaged 15.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists. The 6-foot-1 guard – a second-team All-Mid-American Conference selection - shot 38.2 percent from 3-point range.
Evans asked for his scholarship release shortly after coach Bobby Hurley left Buffalo for ASU. Buffalo on Tuesday granted Evans his release and did not put restrictions on the guard's transfer options. ASU is Evans' first visit. According to reports, he also is considering Miami, VCU and Old Dominion.
"I'm considering (Arizona State) a lot," Evans told SNY.tv. "(Hurley) is like my best friend, a father figure in my life."
As a freshman, Evans played in 29 games at Buffalo, averaging 8.5 points and 3.3 assists in 26.4 minutes. The Suffolk, Va., native blossomed in his second season under Hurley. On Dec. 30, he posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over Binghamton, the first triple-double in program history.
In the NCAA Tournament, Evans had 15 points and two assists in a loss to West Virginia.
Wherever Evans ends up, he'll have to sit out the 2015-16 season because of NCAA transfer rules. He has two years of eligibility.
Roster moves
Over his first month on the job, Hurley has worked to shape ASU's roster. Freshman Connor MacDougall has left the program and junior Sai Tummala, who has asked for his scholarship release, could follow.
MacDougall, a 6-8 forward from Tempe Corona del Sol, played in six games last season before a shoulder surgery ended his season. Tummala, a 6-6 forward, played in 14 games, averaging 1 point.
The Sun Devils also parted ways with incoming freshman Dominic Green, a 3-star small forward out of Hazen High in Renton, Wash. Green had committed to ASU in August 2014.
Without Tummala, ASU has nine scholarship players, including four starters from last season's 18-16 team that lost in the NIT's second round. For now, junior-college guard Andre Spight, a four-star Rivals prospect, is the program's only newcomer although that likely will change.