Before sophomore guard Amari Evans ever stepped on the court at Texas, men’s basketball head coach Sean Miller knew exactly who he was getting.
Miller recruited Evans while he was still coaching at Xavier. Both grew up in the Pittsburgh area, a connection that Miller leaned on as Evans nearly picked Xavier before ultimately landing on Tennessee.
“We recruited Amari very hard out of high school when we were at Xavier,” Miller said. “(I) formed, I think, a trust and a strong relationship with his mom and him. Obviously, me and him drank the same water.”
But their relationship didn’t end when Evans picked the Volunteers.
After one season at Tennessee, the transfer portal brought the two together again. Only this time, Miller didn’t need much of a recruiting pitch.
“I got on the Zoom with them, and it just felt natural,” Evans said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, they’re trying to recruit me’ pitch. It was like connecting with family again. So, it just felt right, and I didn’t even take a visit. I just committed, just off the strength of the staff.”
That familiarity helped bring Evans to Austin, but what he showed in his freshman year made him an attractive addition to Miller’s roster.
Evans appeared in 35 games for the Volunteers, carving out a role off the bench through his defense, physicality and toughness — qualities he hopes to bring to Texas.
“I want to bring what I bring to a team,” Evans said. “I assume some people have (seen) me play at Tennessee, just come off the bench and just be that dog for the team. Yeah, honestly, just do that plus some, and hopefully, I can help us win every single game.”
His teammates have already taken notice. When asked who the toughest player to go against was, sophomore guard Isaiah Johnson pointed to Evans.
“The hardest guy to go against: Amari probably,” Johnson said. “He’s a really good defender, strong. He doesn’t back down from anything.”
Texas struggled defensively last season. During conference play, the Longhorns had a defensive turnover percentage of 12.3%, a defensive free throw rate of 43.4 and allowed an effective field goal percentage of 53.7% — all three metrics ranking in at least the bottom four of Southeastern Conference teams.
With Miller taking over an almost entirely new roster this season, he wants Evans to help ensure those problems don’t carry over.
“(Miller) basically told me, ‘I know what you bring, and I need you to bring that,’” Evans said. “And I hold myself to the standard where any team I’m on should never be a bad defensive team.”
For Evans, maintaining that standard isn’t only about shutting down the player in front of him. He believes the energy he brings defensively can spread to the rest of the roster.
“I feel like everybody on our team wants it,” Evans said. “And I feel like once I set the tone, you can’t be on a team where one person’s going. So I feel like everybody just comes together.”
Miller may have had to wait a few years longer than he hoped to bring in Evans, but the player eventually arrived in Austin and he still carries the qualities that drew Miller to him in the first place.
And as the Longhorns look to establish their identity, Evans plans on shaping that identity the same way he always has. By being “that dog for the team.”