Duke Basketball Recruiting: Isaiah Evans Surprises Tar Heel Fans Duke basketball wing. Isaiah Evans led another playoff victory, silencing the crowd’s huge UNC fans.
North Meck (N.C.) senior Isaiah Evans, a frequent visitor this season to his future bucket-getting home in Cameron Indoor Stadium, appears to be in UNC-Duke basketball rivalry mode as the No. 9 Blue Devils (24-6, 15-4 ACC) prepare to host the No. 7 Tar Heels (24-6, 16-3 ACC) on Saturday night.
In Tuesday night’s 4A state semifinal game at Mount Tabor, the 18-year-old Evans faced an opposing student section that included a swarm of boisterous supporters wearing UNC basketball attire, probably hoping to get into the brain of the Duke recruiting prize.
Evans, a 6-foot-170-pound wing and McDonald’s All-American ranked No. 13 overall on the 247Sports Composite, regularly responded to their heckling. He accomplished this with six made threes, smart playmaking, and clutch defensive efforts, as well as different gestures such as intensely competitive claps and chest thumps.
The long-limbed five-star, who has drawn similarities to former Duke one-and-done and current New Orleans Pelicans player Brandon Ingram, concluded the game with 22 points. And Evans produced a key block, securing the 45-42 victory that advanced North Meck (27-3) to Friday night’s quarterfinal match against Myers Park (27-2).
Evans is one of five 2024 Duke basketball signees, including fellow McDonald’s All-American Cooper Flagg, five-star forward Kon Knueppel, five-star center Patrick Ngongba II, and Darren Harris.
