NEW YORK - The chants of "Tyreke, Tyreke, Tyreke" followed Tyreke Evans as he ascended the steps of the Madison Square Garden theater after being selected fourth overall in the NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings.
It was hard to believe he was walking. He seemed to be floating everywhere he was directed by NBA security, being whisked from one interview to another.
But everything Evans wanted and envisioned since he was 7 years old all came true once NBA commissioner David Stern called his name. The 6-5, 220-pound former star at American Christian Academy and Memphis goes down as arguably the greatest high school player ever from Delaware County.
He made history last night as the highest pick from Delaware County ever selected in the NBA draft, beating out his new boss, Sacramento general manager Geoff Petrie, a Springfield High grad who was chosen eighth overall in the 1970 draft by the Portland Trial Blazers. He went on to become co-Rookie of the Year and two-time NBA All-Star.
Evans had a strong feeling that Sacramento was interested. He had two workouts with the Kings. His second workout came against Stephen Curry and Jonny Flynn. Evans proved he could hit the outside shot, an area of his game that some thought needed to be addressed.
"I worked out the first time and I think I did pretty good," Evans said. "I was knocking down shots. That was the knock on me coming into the draft - that my outside shot wasn't that good. They saw that I could shoot the ball and the second time they wanted to see me work out with some guards. They said I was stronger over a lot of others there."
Said a Kings executive: "What really wowed us was the second workout. We had him in there with a group of potential No. 1 draft picks and he not only held his own, but we felt he was the best of the group. Yes, we had some doubts about his outside shot, but we think he answered those doubts during the workout with potential first-round draft picks defending him up in his face. He did very, very well."
But it seemed Sacramento always had Evans in its sights. Petrie had dinner and spoke candidly to Reggie Evans, Tyreke's older bother and legal guardian, about possibly taking Tyreke.
"We really kind of knew it was a done deal," Reggie said. "I got a real good feeling from Petrie and the Kings' people. Sacramento was really showing us a lot of interest and it was just a matter of 'Reke being there at four for them. It really is a nice fit for 'Reke, I think. It's a fairly young team and I think once 'Reke showed them in the second workout what he was capable of doing, especially showing that he can hit the outside shot, that's what did it."
Entering the draft, Evans had been favorably compared to Larry Hughes, the Sixers' first-round pick in 1998. Evans has the wingspan of a center and has added 20 pounds of muscle to a 6-5 frame. At Memphis, Evans showed his versatility, playing point guard when Tigers coach John Calipari was scrambling for a one-guard to change the course of his team.
It even opened up speculation that the Kings could look at him as a point guard.
"I really don't have a preference," for playing point guard or shooting guard, Evans said. "A lot of coaches ask me that question - point guard or shooting guard - and I tell them I'm a basketball player. I can play both positions and I'll go to Sacramento and play wherever they want me to play."
Until his name was called, Evans carried a placid demeanor, occasionally looking up at the big screen at images of himself while taking a quick inventory of the spectacle around him.
When Stern called his name, Evans rose and immediately hugged his mother and his brothers Reggie, Doc and Pooh, who have nurtured Tyreke since he was a child.
Reggie Evans said it was still undetermined which sneaker company Evans will sign with, but he certainly has his choice. But before pondering business propositions, what Tyreke and the rest of his family were doing last night was absorbing as much of the moment as possible.
"I know Tyreke lived for this moment," Reggie said. "It's the biggest moment of his life. It reminds me of all the times he used to work on his game, when he used to watch games on TV and wish that one day he were on TV playing in the NBA. Now it's happening. Now he is where he always thought he would be. This is the greatest day of his life. And his life is just starting." *
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