This offseason has been a turbulent few months for the Iowa men’s basketball program. From Tyler Cook making the NBA jump, to Isaiah Moss making the surprise transfer request, to Jordan Bohannon undergoing hip labrum surgery, the program is in a definite state of flux. As the season approaches, new faces will be putting on the black and gold and hitting the hardwood at Carver-Hawkeye.
The newest player to join the mix is Valparaiso graduate transfer and 6’2 guard Bakari Evelyn. He officially signed on to the Hawkeye basketball program on July 11th. The Detroit native was originally a commit to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. There he only played 17 games before transferring to Valparaiso from 2017-2019. As a Crusader, he averaged a career 10.5 points per game, 2.5 assists, 2.4 rebounds, shot 39.6% from the field and 34.3% from three. In his two years there, he also started 44 of 64 games.
📝 Signed. Sealed. Delivered.
Bakari Evelyn joins the Hawkeye basketball family as a graduate transfer.
Release | https://t.co/yFY5qyM7vL#Hawkeyes #FightForIowa pic.twitter.com/D86M7flQHv
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) July 11, 2019
What He Brings to Iowa
Evelyn’s three ball is a key part of his game along with solid off-ball skills with good handles for his position. He can also drive to the basket when he needs to.
He joins the Iowa program with incoming freshmen Patrick McCaffrey and Joe Toussaint. Evelyn will add to the incoming fire power of returning redshirts Jack Nunge, Cordell Pemsl, and CJ Fredrick as well. His commitment gives the Hawkeyes another piece to the roster that’s been reloaded after the departures of Tyler Cook, Isaiah Moss, Nicholas Baer, and Maishe Dailey.
Bakari Evelyn should fit in well in a Hawkeye backcourt that is lacking true, veteran depth. He fits the mold of an all-around offensive-minded guard that Iowa truly needs. With the injury of Jordan Bohannon and his season potentially lost, Evelyn will look to fill a major void. He also looks to be a good complement to big talents Joe Wieskamp and Luka Garza for the 2019-2020 season.
Iowa looks to build on a successful 2018-2019 season and make noise in the Big Ten. The team projects to finish in the top half of the standings for the second season in a row and make another run in NCAA tournament.
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