Underwood Talks About What Makes Jawun Evans Great

Brad Underwood talked on Monday about Oklahoma State and postseason success on his Big 12 media teleconference. He was also asked about Jawun Evans, and spoke glowingly about his All-Big 12 point guard.

“I had seen Jawun a lot in high school,” said Underwood. “I was an assistant with Frank Martin at South Carolina. Jawun as a young kid lived in the state of South Carolina. I knew how good a player he was. He’s a better young man than he is a player. And he’s a great, great player.

“You’re fortunate when you come in and inherit a point guard. What I’ve been so pleased with is how much better he’s gotten. Physically and strength. His willingness to work. He’s a gym rat. He’s been everything that I had imagined and envisioned and more. He’s a terrific young man and a great, great competitor.”

https://twitter.com/BPredict/status/841080418787086336

Good stuff, right? He was also asked about why it seems like Jawun is surging at this time of the year.

“It’s a better understanding of what we were doing,” said Underwood. “He was very good early, and I think he has made our other players better. It wasn’t just about him getting his. He’s had gamed with 15 and 12 assists.

“My definition of a great player is … a good player makes himself better and a great player makes his teammates better. Jawun has made everybody on our team better with his play. That has happened the last half of the year. Other guys have become better. That is something that has really helped our team.”

Underwood is right. Look at Evans’ splits per month.

He was awesome in November and has been downright elite in February and March. That February stat line is outrageous: 19-4-7. And March is blowing it out of the water!

Evans is a big reason OSU could go deep in in the NCAA Tournament, and thankfully for Underwood, No. 1 is playing the best basketball of his career.