Queens University of Charlotte head men\u2019s basketball coach\u00a0Grant Leonard\u00a0has announced the promotion of\u00a0Sean Evans\u00a0to assistant coach and rebounding coordinator on Tuesday afternoon. Evans spent his first season in the Queen City as the director of player development and played an instrumental role in the Royals first ASUN Tournament title.
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\u201cSean is a rising star in the coaching profession,\u201d said Leonard. \u201cHe had an unbelievable career as a player, and the start of his coaching career has been amazing to be a part of. His relationships with the players are elite, his temperament is next level, and his basketball acumen is phenomenal. We are all glad Sean is a part of our family.\u201d
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In his first season on staff, Evans helped Queens to a 21-win season, the most since joining Division 1 in 2022, as well as the first ASUN Tournament title in program history. Three Royals, including\u00a0Yoav Berman,\u00a0Avantae Parker, and\u00a0Jordan Watford, earned All-ASUN honors, while\u00a0Nasir Mann\u00a0was named the ASUN Tournament MVP. The ASUN Preseason Player of the Year,\u00a0Chris Ashby, was deemed a finalist for the CollegeInsider.com Nolan Richardson Award after finishing his career in the top 40 in NCAA history for threes made.
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Evans assisted in the development of an offense that ranked 18th\u00a0in the country and led the ASUN with 84.5 points per game. Queens was 1-of-3 programs in the nation, including Texas A&M and Miami (OH), to have six guys average double figures. While ranking top 100 in three-point field goal percentage, Queens also ranked 14th\u00a0in the country in 2-point field goal percentage, in part due to efficient forward play.\u00a0Avantae Parker\u00a0tied for the fourth-best field goal percentage in a single season in school history.
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\u201cIt is an honor to come to work each day at an amazing place like Queens,\u201d said Evans. \u201cI am forever indebted to Coach Leonard for his trust and belief in me, coupled with the trust from each one of the players in our program. I am grateful and lucky to coach alongside talented staff as we work to further our goal of excellence. I look forward to continuing to pour into our guys every day.\u201d
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Before Queens, Evans spent a season as an assistant coach at Colorado Mesa University under former Charlotte Bobcats head coach and St. John\u2019s assistant, Mike Dunlap. In his role with the Mavericks, Evans focused on developing the team\u2019s forwards, conducting individualized training sessions aimed at improving footwork, positioning, and overall on-court effectiveness. Evans\u2019 efforts contributed to the emergence of three All-Conference selections. During his first season, CMU finished third in the conference standings at 19-9 and led the league in rebounding.
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Evans brings firsthand knowledge, credibility, and an elite standard to player development and coaching with a wealth of knowledge in offensive and defensive strategies and techniques. A former four-year forward at St. John\u2019s University from 2007-11, Evans helped the Red Storm reach the NCAA Tournament in 2011. As a sophomore, Evans played in 34 games and averaged 10.3 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game.
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The success in college allowed Evans to continue his playing career at the professional level. Over his 14-year professional career, Evans played in some of the world\u2019s most esteemed leagues in the United States, Germany, Korea, Israel, Turkey, Greece, and many others. In his second professional season, Evans was chosen in the 2012 NBA Development League Draft by the Idaho Stampede, the former NBA G-League affiliate of the Utah Jazz. With the Stampede, Evans averaged 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
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In the summer of 2017, Evans competed for Team FOE, a Philadelphia-based team in The Basketball Tournament on ESPN. Across four games, Evans averaged 10.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 56 percent shooting to help Team FOE advance to the Super 16 Round in Brooklyn, N.Y.<\/p>\n