Loyola Academy’s Ramar Evans (No. 25) applies defensive pressure on Taft’s Arnel Grozdanic. The junior standout leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER
He went to middle school at Chicago’s Walt Disney Magnet — a hop, skip and jump shot away from Lake Shore Drive.
So it’s only fitting that Loyola Academy’s Ramar Evans experienced a magical moment in the third-place game of the New Trier/Loyola Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 28. With 1.3 seconds left in regulation, he hit an off-the-dribble, step-back 17-footer to beat Lake Forest 37-35 in overtime.
Evans was the star attraction that night. With that one follow-through jumper, Ramar-velous turned the basketball court at 1100 Laramie Avenue in Wilmette into his own personal Magic Kingdom.
Everyone in the house, including the Lake Forest defender, knew he was going to spread the court, drive hard with the dribble and take the final shot.
It goes down as Evans’ finest basketball moment — so far.
But don’t worry, the kid is just getting warmed up.
“His best days on the court are coming,” Loyola Academy head coach Tom Livatino says.
Evans has a unique skill set. He’s a five-positional player.
He’s Chicago Cubs free agent signee Ben Zobrist in basketball shorts.
“A multi-dimensional player,” says Livatino. “Things are going to work out for him. He’s got great quickness. Great explosiveness.”
His versatility allows him be a stat stuffer.
“He leads us in points (13.4 per game), leads us in rebounds (6.4), leads us in assists (2.3),” Livatino adds.
“He’s really good.”
But Evans’ game remains in construction.
“He’s playing at a high level right now,” says Livatino. “But he knows he should be playing at an even higher level. That’s our expectations of him.
“He still needs to be more consistent,” the LA coach adds.
That love for the game thing? He’s got that on LockDown.
Last offseason, Evans played club basketball with the U16 Chicago LockDown team, which was coached by current LA assistant Nick Oraham. He teamed up with some talented folks and learned a ton.
He also kept close tabs with fellow Ramblers. He constantly received text messages throughout the offseason from senior shooting guard Brandon Danowski, who played for the Chicago LockDown U17 squad.
Most likely, their text conversation went something like this:
Hoops?
What time?
“We played a lot of one-on-one. A lot of King of the Hill,” says Danowski.
The dedication paid off — especially in the shooting department.
Evans’ outside shot has never been better.
“He’s definitely progressed in that area,” Danowski says.
Currently, Evans is shooting a lofty 52 percent from three-point land (17-33).
“Being in the gym and shooting all summer really helped,” says Evans. “It’s the part of the game that I really worked on.”
Last season, he was only a marginal three-point shooter, hitting 23 of 62 from beyond the arc.
With his ability to knock down long-range shots, Evans has become even more difficult to guard. Possessing a rock-solid 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame, he’s a match-up nightmare for most teams.
“He’s a powerful guard,” says Danowski. “With the way he uses his body, he’s especially tough driving to the basket and taking it to the hole.”
There’s no way to pigeonhole his game. Evans’ passing is just as effective as his shooting. He’s bound and determined to get the ball into the right hands.
“Our offense is now second nature to me,” Evans says. “I have a good feel for it. I know the ins and outs.”
Feeding the ball to Danowski, who made 99 three-pointers last year, is never a bad option. The same holds true of senior sharpshooter Will Plodzeen.
“I trust Brandon,” Evans says. “And Plodzeen has been outstanding for us. I’ve been very impressed with Will.”
Being the team’s point guard doesn’t stop Evans from going all out on the glass.
“Rebounding,” he says, “is my favorite thing to do. Love it. Nothing like gathering in a rebound and going with it.”
He developed his inside game years ago.
“I’m a former big man. I played a lot of four and five when I was younger,” says Evans. “But my dad (Ramar Evans, Sr.) always told me to work on my handles. He always wanted me to have something to fall back on.”
Being a two-year starter, Evans has been asked to be a team leader.
“That’s been the biggest change from last year to this year,” he says. “Last year, I was the kid. Other guys on the team were looking out for me.
“This year, I’m the parent. It’s tougher. But I like it,” Evans adds.
He definitely didn’t shrug off his responsibilities in that overtime game against Lake Forest. He had the closing seconds all mapped out in his mind.
“I took the ball with 45 seconds left and held it until there were 12 seconds left,” he recalls. “Honestly, I was trying to take it the rim. That was my first instinct. That was my thought process.
“But I ended up taking what he gave me,” Evans adds. “I had to go with the flow. I had to make a quick decision. So I went with the step-back jumper.”
And he couldn’t have shot it any better.
Nothing but … magic.
Notable: The Ramblers, who are playing in the VisitMeza.com Basketball Challenge at Mountain View High School in Meza, Arizona, improved to 7-4 on Dec. 22 by downing visiting Taft 70-51. The Ramblers made11 three-pointers in the contest. Will Plodzeen hit five threes to finish with a game-high 23 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Eddie Trapp had 12 points, while Brandon Donowski added 10 points.