I got a chance to talk with several of the Rice Basketball Owls Saturday at the Meet the Owls event at Tudor. One of them is freshman Chris Eversley out of Chicago Walter Payton Prep. (he is the first scholarship athlete from the school actually)
He's a great young man and very engaging. He told me he feels good about his shot right now, but that he's really been focusing on his defense. Eversley said he feels like his rebounding is a real strength for him as the season approaches. It's something he really enjoys actually.
"You know everybody wants to score, and that's great and all. But you also have to hit the boards hard. I think that's a place where I can really help the team this year."
Chris is listed in the official guide at 195 pounds - he's actually already up to 215 pounds under the tutelage of S&C Coach Scott McLafferty. The beautiful thing is - Chris really hasn't matured physically yet. He just recently turned 18 in September and could easily end up growing another inch or two and is going to fill out even more. He's going to be a specimen before he's done at Rice, wouldn't be surprised if he's maybe 6-7 230. And with a real desire to be a great rebounder, he could be a beast.
I asked Chris if he knows fellow Chicago player and 2010 commit J.R. Reynolds.
"Oh yeah I know him very well. Our schools played each other - we were in the same conference. Whitney Young (Reynold's school) always has good talent. J.R. is a really good player with a solid outside game. He's got pretty good handle too though so he can create off the dribble. He's going to be a great player here. I'll be glad when he gets down here...I'm going to take him under my wing and help him work on his game."
Latest Team Rankings
Mobile
