“I’m not gonna say that I’m filling Derrick Rose's spot, but I am gonna do the best I can, pushing the ball at a fast pace.”

~ Tyreke Evans

By Catzie Vilayphonh  |  Send to Friend

For being called the next big thing by Sports Illustrated when he was just 16, and appearing on the covers of both Dime and Punks Magazine, basketball phenom Tyreke Evans is a man of few words. Such publicity would certainly inflate any high school players’ ego, especially if chosen as one the country’s best ballers to play at legendary Rucker Park for Boost Mobile’s Elite 24 team, and further, being one of the selected to be highlighted in a documentary directed by a Beastie Boy. But the soft-spoken Evans, who stands at 6-5, and who has already been compared to Iverson and Lebron, knows he’s got a way to go before he hits the NBA. His quiet persona may read as shy or humble, but it’s also a reflection of his understanding that all the media attention is just part of the training.

I sat down and chopped it up a bit with Tyreke (now 17) on Tuesday, though he had been interviewing since 7am, along with his coach, Lamont Peterson, while getting ready for a special Philly screening of Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot directed by Adam ("MCA") Yauch.

Catz: So, where are you from exactly? I keep reading that you're from Chester but some places say you're from Aston.

Tyreke Evans: Chester.

C: What's Chester like? I've never actually been, I've only just seen the exits on I-95, so… I might have been, getting lost trying to go to the airport.

Lamont Peterson: You’re not missing anything.

T: Umm, Chester. It can be a good place and it also can be--

L: Have you ever been to Camden? There you have it, but suburban.

C: You said before, when you were choosing schools that you wanted to stay close to home so a lot of people thought you were going to Villanova, but then you went with Memphis instead. That's a long way from Pennsylvania, isn't it?

T: Yeah, definitely, two hours on the plane. Driving, probably about five hours [Ed. Note: Not on any route I've ever tried]. I took a visit. It was a nice visit. Enjoyed the campus, meeting Coach Calipari and the players. I know a couple of players, it was a good experience.

C: You said you picked Memphis because of Coach Calipari, but Memphis is a fast team. Do you think you can handle all the running Coach C is going to make you do, on top of being the replacement for Derrick Rose?

L: Who are you? You're a beaut. You’re great -- you're the first person! No one’s ever asked that “can he keep up?”

T: Yeah, I know he's gonna make me run. I know he likes to run that style offense. I'm gonna be prepared for it, I know that. I’m not gonna say that I’m filling Derrick Rose's spot, but I am gonna do the best I can, pushing the ball at a fast pace.

C: People have compared you to other NBA players -- Allen Iverson, LeBron James, DeShawn Stevenson -- but you've said that its was Tracy McGrady that reminded you of yourself, why is that?

T: We just play the same, slow type of game. Sometimes he can play fast. I study a lot of moves from NBA players. I watch -- if I see a move that they do I’ll try it in the gym later on and just keep working on it and get better at it. I'll just be studying their game.

C: Sports Illustrated called you the next big thing when you were only in the 10th grade. When your “career” is hyped up before you even graduate how do you stay focused?

T: Just not letting that get to my head. Just continuing to play basketball and doing the hard work, working out in the gym.

C: So none of that affects you? There's no ladies tryin' to…

T: (Laughs) [They’re] tryin, but it won't affect me. I’m just staying focused right now.

C: Okay, so, obviously, with all the media attention that’s placed on you, things happen differently. There was an incident last year with your cousin Jamar that involved a man getting shot and now your cousin is now in jail. Do you still keep in touch with him?

T: I keep in touch with his sisters. We can't talk right now.

C: And, are you close to your family?

T: Yeah, very close.

C: I know it sounds stupid because it seems like the answer should be obvious -- you just graduated from American Christian Academy, how much does religion play a role in your life?

T: Umm… (looks over to Coach). Religion? Nah, it don’t really play a big part.

At 16 Tyreke (bottom row, far left) was chosen among 24 top players of the country.

C: How was it working with Adam Yauch on Gunnin’? Had you heard of him before?

T: I had heard of him with the Beastie Boys, my brother had played a few tunes for me from his iPod. I’m glad he decided to make this documentary of the best young [basketball] players in the country. It’s something nobody has really done before.

C: How was he as a director?

T: He’s pretty good. He’s a quiet guy; very business-like. He was very excited about the premiere though.

C: How did it feel to play in Rucker Park?

T: It was pretty good playing in Rucker, ya know. The atmosphere, the crowd, the fans…

C: Have you been there before as a fan?

T: Nah, that was my first time being there, playing, actually. It was just crazy. The crowd, and the guy on the mic talking trash... it was just wild out there. I was nervous. That was my first time ever being at something like that, where if you didn’t play good they gon’ get at you. So you have to at least show a lil' somethin' somethin', that you can play.

C: Explain why they call you "Too Easy."

T: At the Rucker, it was "Too Easy" and "Wreak Havoc." Just the way I play. I score easy and I make a lot of easy buckets so they just called me "Too Easy."

 

Tyreke, in blue on the left, watches as Kevin Love and Michael Beasley hustle for the ball.

C: You play shooting guard and point guard. As a point guard you're more like a captain on the court and as a shooting guard, you’re sort of like the star, so which one do you prefer to play?

T: Whatever Coach Calipari needs me to play, that’s what I'll play. It doesn’t really matter to me.

C: Really? You wouldn’t choose if you had the choice?

T: Nah, it really wouldn’t matter to me. As long as we're winning, that’s what matters.

C: I've been told that your style has a lot of street in it. And so because of that, for you to play for a school, you might need a little bit more discipline in your game. Do you agree?

T: Uhh, not really, no. I think I’m fine in the up and down system. I think I’m pretty good with the ball, with my handling and running. Nobody can stick with me in open court. Half-court, maybe you have a chance of stopping me, but in the full-court game I feel that nobody can handle me.

C: If you weren’t playing basketball, what would be doing? Do you feel like this is your calling?

T: Yeah, I feel like it’s my calling. Who knows what I’d be doing otherwise?

 

Gunnin' For That #1 Spot opens in select theatres on Friday, June 27th.