Growth of sophomore guard Kyan Evans a key part of CSU Rams’ success

As a freshman a year ago, Colorado State guard Kyan Evans spent his first season with the Rams playing behind and learning from Isaiah Stevens, one of the most decorated players in the history of the program who went on to play professionally after his fifth year at CSU.

That experience laid the foundation for a breakout sophomore season that includes an all-conference honorable mention, a season which continues as the Rams take a 10-game winning streak into their NCAA Tournament first-round game Friday against Memphis.

“It was just a great learning experience,” Evans said of playing behind Stevens last year. “He’s a great player. He’s a great leader and he’s a good teacher as well. So, I learned a lot from him every day, just trying to be a sponge and just suck everything in from him, for sure.”

This year, the Kansas City, Mo., native and 2023 Missouri player of the year has been in the Rams’ starting lineup all season. And although he got off to a slow start, his growth has played a major role in the team’s turnaround that began right before Christmas and culminated with its first Mountain West Conference tournament championship in 22 years last Saturday.

Evans didn’t start last season but came off the bench in all 36 of CSU’s games. He averaged 1.7 points and 0.8 assists. With Stevens now gone, it became his turn to direct the team’s offense on the court.

On Nov. 18, he established a career-high with 11 points against Washington. In early December, he scored 11 and 14 points in back-to-back games against Loyola Marymount and Colorado.

It was clear his confidence, as well as play-making abilities, were growing each time he stepped onto the court.

“You can see it in his play, it’s just confidence,” CSU head coach Niko Medved said. “He’s got a swagger. He’s a competitor. He believes in the work, but it’s just as he started to play, and shots started to go in, you could just see the belief in him and in himself. He’s a guy that wants the smoke.”

In a 10-game stretch from Feb. 11 to March 14, he scored in double figures every game, averaging 14.1 points per contest during the stretch. He had a career-high 20 against Air Force on Feb. 25.

“I think it’s just a testament to the work that I put in in the offseason, and then that I put in throughout this year; practice and games, getting better throughout each one,” Evans said.

As a spectator, it’s easy to see when his confidence is at its highest. He has also shown the ability to rise to the occasion in high-pressure situations.

In both the quarterfinal and semifinal games of the Mountain West tournament, he made three early 3-pointers to get the Rams’ offense going. And when he isn’t scoring, he’s making sure he is helping out his teammates. He only scored three points in the tournament championship against Boise State, but he dished out four assists.

“He enjoys the competition,” Medved said. “He enjoys getting after it. He’s not one of those guys, you always have a little bit of nerves, but he’s going to be excited to get out there and play.”

His growth and maturity this season hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates either. After being honored on senior night March 4, Jalen Lake said he has been impressed by what he has seen from the sophomore this year.

Lake hosted Evans on his visit to CSU before he committed to the program.

“Just the growth and his confidence, just to see that spark in him in so many ways, and he’s gotten so much better,” Lake said. “I felt like I saw it when came in, in the summer this year, but he took some time and he really started getting going. I mean, he’s just only going to take off from here, so I’m super proud of him, and he’s a worker and he wants to be the best player he can be.”

While Evans has the potential to be one of the program’s best, he and his teammates first want to continue their momentum into the NCAA Tournament, beginning at noon on Friday against the Tigers in Seattle.