CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Men’s basketball Coach Wes Long opened the Spring 2010 signing period with a bang by announcing the signing of two standout players to National-Letters-of-Intent today. Coach Long and his staff are excited to be adding Brent Evans (Beaufort, S.C./ Battery Creek HS) and David Mason (Decatur, Ga./ Chamblee HS) to the Queens program, after both signed with the Royals during the first day of the signing period on Wednesday.
“It would be hard to be more satisfied with our recruiting efforts than I am right now,” said Long. “Brent and David are both fantastic fits for Queens in every facet encompassing being a student-athlete on this campus.”
“Coach Scott Taylor did an outstanding job in conducting his due diligence on these young men, and because of his efforts we were able to quickly identify Brent and David as our top two targets. The relationships we have built with these two guys over the past nine months have continually shed positive light on Brent, David, and each guy’s family, and I’m nothing short of thrilled for them to be joining us.”
Both Evans and Mason will come to Queens as highly-touted prospects, with each having collected an array of honors and awards during standout prep careers. Coach Long doesn’t limit his praise and expectations of these two players to any one area.
“Finding players who fit Queens in its entirety is supremely important to us, and critical to our ability to have terrific success. The more involved we got with Brent and David, the more it became apparent that these guys seem to fit in every way. These two guys are a lot of things: very intelligent, high-achievers in the classroom, fantastic citizens in their communities, tremendous competitors, and blue-chip athletes. I’m very excited about having the opportunity to coach and mentor these young men.”
Evans and Mason will be joined by a couple yet-to-be announced recruits in forming Queens’ 2010 recruiting class.
More on Brent Evans:
Nickname: B.A.
Height: 6’7”
Hometown: Beaufort, S.C.
High School (Coach): Battery Creek High School (John Drafts)
AAU Team (Coach): Crossover Athletics (William Belue)
Parents: Tim & Janet Saunders
Evans’ 2009-10 Stats:
•14.5 ppg / 10.5 rpg / 2.3 apg / 1.3 spg
• Led Battery Creek to a 24-3 record and third round of S.C. 3A State Playoffs
• Helped Battery Creek to a 21-6 record and SC State Semifinals (2009)
Evans’ HS Honors:
• 2010 NC/SC All-Star Classic Game
• 2010 Region 8-AAA Player-of-the-Year
• 2009 & 2010 1st Team SCBCA AAA All-State
• 2009 & 2010 Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet Player-of-the-Year
• 2009 Region 8-AAA 1st Team All-Region
• 2009 Battery Creek Classic Tournament MVP
Battery Creek Coach John Drafts on Brent Evans:
"Brent has a lot of drive. He raises the bar for everybody, and then once you meet the bar, he raises it again. His basketball IQ is very good and he makes everybody around him better.”
"If your best player is a role model and a good person like Brent, it makes things a lot easier for a coach and team. His overall attitude and desire to work hard really made a difference for us having two of the most successful seasons in school history."
“Brent will be a terrific success on the next level at Queens, because Brent does all of the things that result in success. He does things the right way, by caring, and competing, and working hard.”
Queens Coach Wes Long on Evans:
“It’s hard to separate the person Brent Evans and the basketball player ‘B.A.’ because he is terrific both on and off the floor. Brent’s intelligence and leadership skills are just as evident in watching him interact with his teammates and parents outside the lines, as they are noticeable during a basketball game.”
“Brent’s athleticism will allow him to compete right away at the collegiate level. His length, bounce, quickness, and ability to run already put him in the mix."
“Queens is getting a top-flight athlete with a blue-collar mentality and that seems to be a rare combination these days. I figured out in a single afternoon that I wanted Brent Evans the basketball player to play for us, but more importantly I learned over the past nine months that we absolutely had to have the person that Brent is in our program.”
What others are saying about Brent Evans:
“Evans is a scrappy post player who has an extremely high basketball I.Q. to go along with good athleticism and a solid shooting stroke. Despite being undersized, Evans has solid strength inside and does a fantastic job of having the ability to go at bigger defenders.”
–ESPN Insider.com
“Brent Evans is a long, bouncy and wiry athlete, who is very active on the boards and is all over the floor. He likes to play in the mid-post, but can step to the perimeter and knock down the three ball.”
-Bret Swanson, Swanny’s Roundball Review
More on David Mason:
Nickname: D-Mase
Height: 6’5”
Hometown: Decatur, Ga.
High School (Coach): Chamblee High School (Caesar Burgess)
AAU Team (Coach): Atlanta All-Stars (Ben Miller)
Parents: Greg & Jackie Mason
Mason’s 2009-10 Stats:
• 22.8 ppg / 6.3 rpg / 55% fg
• Led Chamblee to 20-8 record and GHSA Sectional Playoffs
• Leading scorer in DeKalb County (22.8 ppg)
• Scored 30-plus points in six games
Mason’s HS Honors:
• Scored 1,102 points in his Chamblee HS career
• 2009 Southeast Atlanta Hoopfest MVP
• DeKalb County Tipoff Club January 2010 Athlete of the Month
• 2010 Metro Atlanta Top 30 Players by the Atlanta Tipoff Club
• 2010 Atlanta Journal Constitution DeKalb County 2nd Team
• 2010 All-Metro Sports 6th Team Georgia All-State
• 2010 McDonalds All-American Nominee (1 of 43 in Georgia)
• Member of the National Honor Society
• DeKalb County Student of Distinction
• 2008 DeKalb County All-Academic Team
Atlanta All-Stars Coach Ben Miller on David Mason:
“David Mason is a terrific young man who possesses great character, intelligence, and enthusiasm. His work ethic both academically and athletically has allowed him to obtain a scholarship at Queens. I know he will continue to work hard on and off the floor. Queens is getting a wonderful young man who will represent its University with only the highest standards.”
Queens Coach Wes Long on Mason:
“David Mason has the talents and abilities to be a very special contributor to Queens, across all areas of our campus. As I developed a relationship with David and his parents, it became more clear every day that he is the type of young man who makes an impact wherever he is.”
“I believe we’d be hard pressed to find and recruit another player as athletically-gifted as David Mason. Much like B.A., David’s God-given abilities are going to allow him to do a variety of things on the basketball court. He has the tools to be both a prolific scorer and a tenacious defender at this level.”
“I believe that David hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential as a student-athlete. I am thrilled for Mase because I know that he will have the opportunity to blossom in every aspect of his life at Queens. David is articulate and intelligent, and he possesses a trait that we look for all the time but seldom find: the courage to accept personal responsibility. It is easy for me to get excited about signing a young man of David’s caliber, because when you combine personal accountability with his many other gifts, that’s a pretty special package.”
What others are saying about David Mason:
“When it comes to freaky and intimidating athleticism, the 6-foot-5 wing is one of the best in the 2010 Georgia class!”
- Rivals.com
“David is getting better every day and he’s still not anywhere close to what he’s going to be.”
- Caesar Burgess, Head Coach of Chamblee HS