Men’s basketball: Gophers beat out Hawkeyes for transfer guard Kyan Evans
The Gophers men’s basketball program beat out one of its top rivals by bringing in North Carolina transfer Kyan Evans via the portal on Saturday.
Minnesota head coach Niko Medved and Evans were together at Colorado State for two seasons through 2024-25, but Evans opted to take a big payday at North Carolina instead of following Medved to the U last spring.
Evans entered the portal again after a down year with the Tar Heels on April 7, and the Gophers pursued him a second time. Evans visited Minnesota this week and then went to Iowa City to see the Hawkeyes. He shared his whereabouts in Instagram stories, the same platform where he shared his commitment to the U this weekend.
“Let’s Hoop!!” he wrote.
The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 4.0 points and 2.5 assists in 17.7 minutes per game for the Tar Heels last season. Those numbers fell off from his strong sophomore season with Medved two years ago.
That year, Evans averaged 10.6 points, 3.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game. He started all 36 games as the Rams advanced to the NCAA tournament’s second round.
Evans shot 45% from 3-point range for Colorado State two years ago, but that dipped to 30% for the Tar Heels a year ago.
Evans, who is entering his senior season, represents the fourth incoming player to the U since the portal opened April 7. Minnesota needed a lead guard and Evans fills the role after the U brought in wings Grayson Grove (Texas Tech) and Winters Grady (Michigan) and center Malick Kordel (Michigan). The Gophers have one scholarship spot left.
