Jackson State star Ken Evans Jr commits to FAU ahead of 2024-25 college basketball season

Jackson State guard Ken Evans Jr. has committed to Florida Atlantic University ahead of the 2024-25 season. The transfer came after Evans' fantastic year, leading in scoring in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and being named the SWAC Player of the Year.

CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein broke the news on Monday via a post on X.

"Source: Jackson State transfer and SWAC Player of the Year Ken Evans has committed to Florida Atlantic," Rothstein wrote.

Evans entered the NCAA transfer portal in March, as reported by On3.

"Jackson State grad transfer Ken Evans Jr. has entered the transfer portal On3sports has learned," transfer analyst Jamie Shaw posted on X.

The 6-foot-5 guard was the top scorer for both the SWAC and Jackson State in the 2023-24 season, with an average of 18.8 points per game (601 points in total).

Evans started in 32 games, averaging 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Additionally, he joined the ranks of the school's all-top scorers by surpassing 1,000 career points, becoming the ninth player to achieve the feat.

Evans also scored a personal best of 37 points during an 89-84 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 7. He had a slow but steady growth coming from a freshman to being a senior player at Jackson State.

Evans played in 18 games during his first year, averaging 4.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. In his second year, he started in 24 out of 29 games and improved his stats to 7.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Likewise, his third-year stats read 11.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 2.7 apg.

How will Ken Evans Jr. fit in at FAU?

Ken Evans pledged to a Florida Atlantic team that had a successful season with a 25-9 overall record. The Owls, under then-coach Dusty May, finished second in the American Athletic Conference but were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Evans, who stacked 1,278 points during his career at JSU, will be playing for John Jakus, who replaced May as the FAU coach on March 27.

Jakus, renowned for his experience as an assistant coach with notable basketball figures such as Scott Drew from Baylor and Mark Few from Gonzaga, is expected to leverage Evans' outstanding scoring skills and leadership qualities.

Ken Evans, a four-year college veteran, is expected to go straight into the starting lineup for the Owls next season alongside Tre Carroll and Jakel Powell. Besides Evans, FAU has also signed Florida State transfer Baba Miller, Louisville's Kaleb Glenn and Jacksonville State star KyKy Tandy during the preseason.