Oklahoma State’s Jawun Evans to Declare for NBA Draft
Oklahoma State sophomore point guard Jawun Evans
Oklahoma State sophomore point guard Jawun Evans
INDIANAPOLIS -- What players say about their
Oklahoma State has landed 6-foot-11 St. John’s sophomore Yankuba Sima, a source confirmed to ZAGSBLOG.
He must sit a year per NCAA transfer regulations.
The news was first reported by by Jon Rothstein of FanRagSports.com.
Sima started 18 of 24 appearances as a freshman last season, averaging 7.6 points and a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game. The Girona, Spain native ranked second in the Big Esat with 2.5 blocks per contest and his 60 rejections were the ninth-most for a single season in program history.
Starting eight of 10 games this season, Sima has a 6.0 scoring average, shooting 44.7 percent (21-47 FG) from the field and 72.0 percent (18-25 FT) at the line to go with 3.5 rebounds per game. Sima set season-highs with 12 points and seven rebounds versus Michigan State on Nov. 23 at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
“I want to thank the coaching staff and the administration for all of their support since I arrived at St. John’s,” said Sima. “I enjoyed my experience at St. John’s, but right now I feel it is best for me to explore options that will be a better fit for me as I work toward my goals.”
“We wish Yankuba the best of luck,” said head coach Chris Mullin. “I know this wasn’t an easy decision for him, but we respect and understand it. He’s a good basketball player and a good person with a bright future ahead.”
**Amauri Hardy, the 6-1 point guard from North
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — North Carolina has won the Maui Invitational three times, championships that were a springboard to two national titles and a trip to the Final Four.
Keep playing like this and the Tar Heels could be looking at a repeat performance.
Joel Berry III scored 24 points, Justin Jackson added 22 and No. 4 North Carolina steamrolled its way into the Maui Invitational championship game Tuesday night with a 107-75 victory over Oklahoma State.
“We played a level much higher than at any other time this year,” Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said.
The Tar Heels were warned about Oklahoma State’s pressing defense, one that effectively disrupted the Cowboys’ four previous opponents.
But North Carolina (6-0) dominated the Cowboys from the start, building a 12-point lead in the opening 4 1/2 minutes. The Tar Heels kept their foot down, shooting 57 percent and going 8 of 17 from 3-point range while smothering Oklahoma State at the other end.
Next up is No. 16 Wisconsin in Wednesday’s championship game for a chance at their fourth Maui title.
“At pregame meal, they weren’t trying to scare us, just prepare us for what was to come,” said Berry, who had five rebounds, four assists and three steals. “We came out and hit them first.”
The Cowboys (4-1) had no answer.
Oklahoma State’s press was picked apart by the long, athletic Tar Heels, and the Cowboys couldn’t stop them in the half court, either.
Jawun Evans had 30 points on 13-of-25 shooting, but got little help from his Oklahoma State teammates on the offensive end. The Cowboys shot 36 percent and were 6 of 22 from 3-point range.
“Boy, did they punch us in the mouth early and it was an uphill battle from there,” coach Brad Underwood said. “They are a very, very good basketball team and if we play another team that good, I hope that it’s deep in March and we’ve had time to grow.”
North Carolina needed a little warmup time against Chaminade in the opening round before dominating the Silverswords inside for a 104-61 win.
The Tar Heels jumped on the Cowboys from the opening tip, scoring inside and out. North Carolina hit seven of its first 13 shots to open with a 16-4 run and kept pouring ’em in.
The Tar Heels hit 18 of 32 shots, going 4 of 7 on 3s, and led 51-38 at halftime.
Oklahoma State’s first-half offense was all Evans. He had 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting while the rest of the Cowboys were 4 of 21.
North Carolina hit a couple of quick baskets to open the second half, prompting Underwood to call a timeout.
It did little good.
The Tar Heels continued to pour it on, stretching the lead to 67-42 in the opening 4 minutes and cruising from there.
“They jumped on us right at the start of the second half and the game pretty much was never in doubt,” Underwood said.
BIG PICTURE
The Cowboys had little impact on North Carolina with their pressure defense and need to find someone besides Evans to carry some of the scoring load.
The Tar Heels showed just how good they can be with a dominating performance at both ends to set up what should be a fantastic final in Maui.
BALANCED SCORING
Berry and Jackson were the scoring leaders, but North Carolina spread it around, finishing with six players in double figures.
Isaiah Hicks and Tony Bradley had 13 points each, Nate Britt finished with 12 and Kennedy Meeks had 10.
“To see six players in double figures, that’s pretty crazy against a very good team,” Jackson said.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma State will face Georgetown in the third-place game on Wednesday.
North Carolina faces No. 16 Wisconsin in Wednesday’s title game.
Follow John Marshall on Twitter @jmarshallap
NEWARK — Brad Underwood knows that Kansas has been the gold standard in the Big 12 Conference for more than a decade now, but the new Oklahoma State coach is on a mission to restore the Cowboys to glory.
Bill Self and the Jayhawks have earned at least a share of the Big 12 title for 12 straight years, but Underwood says the Cowboys should consistently challenge them for league supremacy.
“Absolutely, it should happen, it should happen,” he told me on Friday at the Brayden Carr Foundation Coaches Clinic at Prudential Center. “We have very passionate, educated fans and when you have Mr. [Henry] Iba, you have Eddie Sutton and you have an arena [Gallagher-Iba] which to this day is the loudest arena I’ve ever been in in my life as a player and as a coach, we’ll get back to that.
“And we do that then we become a relevant name again and that’s something that’s not just our goal, but I think it’s the place we belong.”