CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you hadn't heard of Isaiah Evans before last Friday, the North Meck junior put the whole city on notice.
Evans put up 45 points and hit the game-winning three pointer as the Vikings toppled rival Chambers on the road.
"Obviously, it was a revenge game," Evans said. "They sent us home twice last year. We was hyped, we had our emotions. But after that it was over. And we're just looking forward to the next game."
Duane Lewis has been the coach at North Meck for a quarter century.
He's won state championships and coached future college players and pros.
He knows how special Evans, a 6-foot-7 small forward, is.
"He comes to practice hard every day," Lewis said. "He's trying to get better. He competes in every drill. It's almost like he thinks he's an average player. He's hungry."
Evans is a star on the verge of potential super-stardom.
This is only his second year of full-time varsity basketball, but he's picking up recruiting offers left and right.
"It's definitely fun," he said.
He's ranked as a five-star prospect by recruiting site 247Sports, which ranks him the No. 2 in the 2024 class in the state, and Top 20 nationally.
Evans has offers from a long list of major programs including Kansas, NC State, Tennessee, Illinois, Memphis, Maryland and more.
And in December, Evans was seen going crazy with the "Cameron Crazies" on a visit to Duke.
"It was great," he said. "It definitely felt good. You know, they knew my name and everything."
Soon, a lot more folks might now Evans name.
Lewis credits Evans with a great work ethic.
Evans said he works out three times per day in the off-season, and even during the season wakes up at 5 a.m., to work out before school and practice.
He clearly loves the game.