David Evans on joining the Runnin Utes coaching staff, recruiting, his time as a high school coach in Utah + more

The newest member of the Runnin Utes coaching staff on recruiting, coaching high school in Utah + more

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Let's get the latest on Utah menshoops with a Running Utes Insider here on
the Bill Rivey Show, brought toyou by Lesselsen. It the Voice of
the Utes catches up with various membersof the program, from head coach Craig
Smith to assistant coaches and players.Now, let's get to the running Utes
Insider right here on your Home ofthe Utes ESPN seven hundred and ninety to

(00:24):
one half m. So. Overthe last couple of weeks, we've talked
to some of the new guys onthe roster. Craig's got to flip that
roster again this year, and hiscoaching rosters flipped as well. We've caught
up with a couple of the newcoaches. One of the latest hires who
is very familiar with this date.We don't have to welcome him to the
state of Utah, which is welcomingback to the state of Utah is David

(00:45):
Evans, of course, a verysuccessful coach on the prep level RSL Academy,
Wassatch Academy, Lone Peak High School, and he knows this state pretty
well and joins Craig's staff. David, how are you. I'm doing well.
How are you good on the showtoday. Welcome back to Utah.
Are you getting settled back in again? Ah? Yeah, but you know,

(01:06):
coaches got us going. So we'reout on the road and we're at
practice, and so I think I'vebeen in the building and on the road
more than i've been anywhere else.So it's been great. David. You've
got two scholarships to fill. You'regoing into the Big twelve. You need
bodies. Get those dudes signed,David. We're about there, my man,
So you'll see some kids pretty soonhere. That'll be great, nice

(01:27):
kid, that'll be great. Whathave you made of the roster so far?
I mean, you're you haven't beenaround a bunch, been on the
road. You just got hired acouple of weeks ago, but you've had
a little bit of time to kindof take stock at where this roster is.
Only a couple of faces back fromlast year's team, a lot of
new faces. But what do youmake of what it looks like right now?

(01:47):
You know, I think this isone thing that people have asked me
out like a little bit lately,and I think from the outward looking in
it's you know, Coach Smith isreally good at kind of keeping things close
to him, And so when Icame in, I was really really excited,
Like that's the best way to say. We've got some fantastic talent,
fantastic work ethic, and some justreally good players. And they're they're not

(02:10):
just that, they're players that andpeople that the fans can be proud of.
It's I'm like super excited. Well, that's good. I know people.
You know again, people are stillgetting used to the fact, David,
that the way of the world nowis rosters change every year. They
don't just change at Utah or BYUor Utah State. They change at Kansas

(02:32):
and Duke and UCLA. That's justthe way of the world. But in
this way of the world, thenyou kind of have to learn some new
guys. So you've looked at thisroster and you see some of these guys
that you're here and excited about.We talked to We talked to Ezra after
he broke the backboard the other dayat practice. We've talked to We've talked
to Zach Keller a little bit.I had Keanu Dawes on the other day

(02:53):
too. It's an interesting mix ofguys. What would you say is the
strength of this roster right now,Well, coach coaches like a certain kind
of kid, and he's got some. The thing I think that was the
biggest, most exciting thing to meis our size, Like we're really we

(03:15):
still need to fill in another bigor so, but like our Ezra,
like Katie, the guys you're talkingabout, you know, when we get
Caleb Lohaner from football Mongolian Mike,that's they're really big guys, Like you
could throw a lineup in there thatwas like six eight and above, and

(03:37):
so that was actually really exciting.But then you've also got some high,
high level shooting, which you know, as a prep coach, I love
shooters, and so we've got somereally good shooters in the squad as well.
So you mentioned a little bit moresize. You've got a terrific prospected
point guard, Miro Little is aguy that people I know Craig is really
excited about. And then you've gotHunter Erickson on there too. Would you

(04:00):
guys like to add another I don'tknow if I always hesitate to even say
point guard, but would you wouldyou like to add another you know,
primary ball hand or somebody that cankind of initiate the offense. Yes,
you know, I think that's that'ssomething we're looking at as well. Mongoli
and Mike has also played a lotof point guard in the past. Mirrow

(04:20):
Merrow, I think is a reallyspecial kid. I went to Finland and
recruited him when he was a juniorin high school and he he has a
chance to be really really special.He approaches the game kind of older than
his years. Hunter Erickson is verygood, but it's always good to have,
you know, another point guard asyou know, yep, David Evans

(04:41):
with us here joining the Utah basketballprogram on Craig's coaching staff. You know
this state very well obviously with yourroles at RSL Academy, Washsat's Academy,
Loan Peak as well. How wouldyou say the overall level of it?
And I know RSL and in WASHATyou are a little bit different because of
the academ to be part of it, But how would you grade today versus

(05:02):
maybe when you got into it adecade or so ago coaching in this state?
How would you kind of overall ratethe high school talent right now?
Well, that is a really goodquestion. I think it's so. I
was just in Phoenix this last week, and I think this might be a
good way to kind of describe it. And so you have section seven.

(05:25):
If you you know, the fansof basketball haven't had a chance to go
there. It's a fantastic event becauseit's their high school teams. These kids
are playing on their high school teamsand they play the right way. They're
sharing the ball and they're moving theball. So it's really great to watch
as a fan. But overall youhave Utah Prep was there and so that's
what RSL now is called Utah Prepand they are in the Prep division.

(05:47):
We had a chance to watch them, and then in the regular division you
have so many teams. But asa whole, the Utah teams were fantastic
and there's so many high level Divisionone players in those groups. I think
as a whole, basketball in Utah. You know, people love basketball here

(06:09):
though they love sports in general herein Utah, and it was really great
to see kind of like how thelevel head keeps improving. The kids are
getting more physical, they're understanding physicalityand they're keeping that up with their skill
and it's pretty great. I don'tknow if you ever saw my Loan Peak
team and we went and played inthe national tournament. We played R.

(06:30):
J. Barrett again and Mott Birdin the National Championship about that's probably been
eight years now, and I alwaysstick by that. Like Utah teams,
we lost at the Buzzer. Youknow, Stephen Ashworth, he had twenty
nine points in the second half,like he was incredible. We lost at
the Buzzer that game. And thatteam, I think that mont Vivertin has
five NBA guys on that team.So it's very doable to play the right

(06:55):
way, to share the ball andto still compete at the highest level.
Yeah, I remember those Loan Peakteams, your team, Sames Quincy's teams,
all those teams they always yeah,all those I mean all of them
though, they all they all competedwhen you went and played nationally. And
I think that and you saw this, whether you were at RSL or whether
you were at Lone Peak. Yougo to those tournaments and there's a there's

(07:15):
a there's a a stereotype about Utahbasketball teams until you step until you step
out on the floor, and thenall of a sudden, you know,
you guys may not win the layupline battle or the getting off the bus
battle, but once once that gamebegins, you know, And I talked
to my buddy Everett Gray about itall the time because his Rebel teams go
all over the country and they competetoo. His Corner Canyon teams do that

(07:40):
too, And so you guys goand represent pretty well nationally. Yeah,
everyck does a great job. Likehe's a great coach. He does a
great job, and he like helpsdevelop these kids. You know, when
I was at wash that it wasa little bit different story, but we
did have a lot. You know, I had a couple of kids that
are at DYU. But when Iwas at RSL, we have David Katoa

(08:01):
who signed here and he has afreshman. He played against Kiante George at
the highest level and uh it wasit was amazing. David played amazing against
Kante George. Yeah, yeah,and I understand. Craig told me that,
you know, his shots improved agreat deal since you first had him
at RSL. He really he's afterthe injurygue hint came back, he's he's

(08:24):
gotten stronger, certainly because that familysaid aren't athletic, but but apparently his
his shot, which wasn't great beforeit got a lot better his senior year
this year. I think. Sohe was always a good shooter, like
a solid shooter, you know,like when he when he shot it,
I expected it to go in,like, but now he's just a knockdown
shooter. And he's like you said, he's that family. I think seven

(08:45):
kids, all Division one athletes.He's a freak athlete. It's really special.
Not just him, his brothers andsisters. Some of them are freak
athletes too. We're talking to DavidEvans spear Hunt the Bill Riley Show today,
Well, what's Craig kind of youknow, everybody's got a little bit
different on the staff. I know, I talked to coach Islet the other
day. I think he's going tobe coaching bigs. What's going to be
your role, David, So primarilyrecruiting international and in the state here a

(09:11):
little bit of California, and thenskill development for the guards and helping out
I think actually skilled development kind ofall maybe all around helping out with Josh
and the forwards and the guards.But yeah, I'm still kind of,
you know, cutting my teeth,you know, and figuring out exactly.
But it's it's amazing here. Theculture. Craig has done an amazing job,

(09:35):
Like I think one of the neatestthings for me to see as an
out we're looking in. I don'tthink people understand, or I didn't understand
I should say that, like whathe's put together in the culture that he's
created. You know, there's noegos across the coach's staff. They players
are so down to earth and it'sjust really refreshing to come to work every

(09:58):
day and just be in this environment. Yeah, he's I think, just
keep building on the success for thelast few years. You know, it's
getting better every year. For thoseof you that weren't big followers of BYU
Hawaii Seasider basketball at the turn ofthe century, the guy I'm talking to
right now could fill it up justa little bit, I believe. I
believe now he'll correct me. I'msure he may still be the schools all

(10:20):
time leading scorer twenty twenty fifty threepoints and average twenty eight a game.
Your senior year, I did Yeah, well I shot the ball probably too
much now, but yeah, butyeah, that was like just what I
was a scorer, you know,and so I had like a couple of

(10:43):
NBA triots didn't make it, sowent overseas for a little bit. But
I love ya Hawaii. That lovethe Seasiders, But no more sports there.
It's crazy. I have more sports. Well, by the way,
twenty eight a game. How manyassists a game that senior year David average
about fourth about seven rebounds? Ishow it should have done better on the
rebounds. But Coach Wagner would comeup to me before the games and hits,

(11:05):
say I need ten boards and thirtypoints tonight. Coach, Hey,
twenty eight to seven and four isnot a bad stat line. I mean,
if you can occasionally get that twodouble figure on either one of those,
that's not bad. If if youtold Coach Wagner I'm gonna give you
twenty eight seven and four every gamethis year, I think it would have
taken that and taken that and run. Yeah, he was really good to

(11:28):
me. It's a great place,you know. Have you been out there
to the island. I've been outto the islands. I've never been to
the campus, though i've been.I've been to The only island I've not
been to is the Big Island.But I've been to every other island.
So that's fantastic. Hey, beforeI let you go, now that you've
been around it a little bit,it's true. I mean, the Pac
twelve was a fantastic conference. Youknow it. You grew up in the

(11:48):
West, you know all about thatstuff. But hey, it's gone.
Now you guys are now transitioning intothe best conference, and really, frankly,
it's not close, especially now withthe four new teams coming in.
The Big twelve is an absolute wagon. What's what's the biggest adjustment, if
any, that you guys have tomake in entering this conference. Maybe it's

(12:09):
personnel, maybe it's mindset, maybeI don't know, but you're entering the
toughest league. It's gonna be ait's gonna be a quad one just about
every night you play. So what'sthe uh, what's the approaches you guys
transition into that league? David,I think that is a phenomenal question because
the past twelve, in my opinion, is physical, but it's you know,
it's a little more finesse. TheBig twelve is dogs, you know,

(12:33):
like we have to have that junkyarddog mentality. We have to have
a high, high level of toughness. We can't be entitled we have to
be humble and we've got to bephysical, and that's the mentality we have
to approach this this thing with.And that's what's happening right now. We
you know, everything that we doin practice and skill development now has We

(12:54):
have defenders and pads going at youknow, at the boys at the team
like we are trying to prepare themthe best we can to prepare for the
physicality of the big twelve. Andthat's that's what we've got to be ready
for. Because we've got shooters,you know, we can spread them out,
but we've got to be ready foreverything else. And they have this

(13:16):
I'm so excited about it. Yeah, they have everything else in that league
for sure. Well, hey,thanks for doing this today. I'll look
forward to seeing you. I'll beobviously on the road with you guys this
year calling the games, so I'mgonna be up there on a full time
basis beginning here in the next weekor so. So I'll look forward to
popping in and saying hi to everybody. But thanks for coming on today,
David, really appreciate it. Thanksfor having me, enjoyed it. Thank
you. David Evans on The BillRiley Show, today new assistant coach,

(13:39):
and again in state recruiting. He'llbe great. He's coached everywhere here,
major programs in the state and alsoworking on skill development.