Anthony Evans (basketball)

Anthony Evans
Current position
Title	Director of Player Development
Team	UMass
Conference	Atlantic 10
Biographical details
Born	March 25, 1970 (age 53); Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Playing career
1989–1991	Orange County CC
1991–1993	St. Thomas Aquinas
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1994–1997	Orange County CC (assistant)
1997–1999	SUNY New Paltz (assistant)
1999–2001	Ulster County CC
2001–2003	SUNY Delhi CC
2003–2007	Norfolk State (assistant)
2007–2013	Norfolk State
2013–2018	Florida International
2019–2021	Fordham (assistant)
Head coaching record
Overall	164–188 (college)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	MEAC tournament (2012); MEAC regular season (2013)
Awards
	Colt Athletic Hall of Fame – Class of 2017

Last updated January 11, 2024

Anthony Lemont Evans (born March 25, 1970) is an American college basketball coach and the former head men's basketball coach at Florida International.^[1] Prior to FIU, he served as the head coach at Norfolk State University. Evans currently serves as Director of Player Development at UMass.

Playing career

Evans played out his high school career at Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn, NY. After graduating from Loughlin, he went on to attend Orange County CC in Middletown, NY where he was a two-year stand out for the Colts during the 1989–1990 & 1990–1991 seasons. He currently is 4th on the SUNY Orange all-time scoring list with 1,182 points. In 2017, he was inducted into the Colt Athletic Hall of Fame. After two successful seasons, he transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas College. He served as a guard on the Spartans basketball team from 1991 to 1993, while earning his bachelor's degree in marketing.

Early coaching career

Orange County Community College

Anthony Evans began his coaching career at Orange County CC in Middletown, NY as an assistant from 1994 to 1997.

Ulster County Community College

Evans' first head coaching job was at Ulster County CC, in Kingston, NY. In the 2001 season, Evans led his squad to a 23–8 record and a runner up finish in region XV and was named Region coach of the year.

Delhi Tech

From 2001 to 2003, Evans coached State University of New York at Delhi to a 62–8 record, including two Region III titles and appearances in the National Junior College Association Division III tournament. He was District I Coach of the Year twice, and Region III Coach of the Year in 2002. His teams at Delhi garnered a No. 1 ranking at one point during both of his years there.

He coached a first-team All-American in 2002–03, and an honorable-mention All-American in 2001–02. Three of his former Delhi players played at Division I schools.

Norfolk State

2003–2007 seasons

In 2003, Evans joined the coaching staff at Norfolk State as an assistant coach. His responsibilities included developing guards, scouting opponents and recruiting. Evans was instrumental in the recruitment of several of NSU's top players. Included among them was a pair of 1,000-point scorers and All-MEAC players, guards Tony Murphy and Corey Lyons. Murphy became the school's first three-time All-MEAC player and departed as the program's No. 7 all-time leading scorer.

Murphy and Lyons are just two of the players who have earned conference accolades during Evans’ tenure at NSU. Murphy and fellow guard Michael Deloach were both two-time All-MEAC members during their careers. O’Quinn earned three all-conference designations during his career and also earned NABC All-District honors in 2010–11. Also in 2011–12, senior Chris McEachin was voted to the All-MEAC second team.

After four seasons as an assistant, Evans took over the head coaching job at Norfolk State.

2007–08 season

In 2007–08, his first at the helm of the program, Evans guided the Spartans to just their second Division I winning season. The Spartans compiled a 16–15 overall record and finished 11–5 in MEAC play, at the time their most successful regular-season finish since joining the league. NSU also tied for second in the regular-season standings, another high-water mark for the program. NSU advanced to the MEAC tournament semifinals before losing to eventual champion Coppin State. Evans capped his inaugural season by being named MEAC Co-Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com

2008–09 season

In 2008–09, NSU shook off a slow start to reach the cusp of its first-ever MEAC title. The Spartans rode an up-tempo offense and pressure defense to their first MEAC tournament championship game appearance. Despite falling to Morgan State in the tournament final, the Spartans served notice that they deserve to be mentioned among the conference's elite.

2009–2011 seasons

The 2009–10 Spartans finished the year at 9–7 in conference play. And in 2010–11, the Spartans advanced to the MEAC tournament semifinals for the third time in four seasons.

2011–12 season

The 26–10 campaign in 2011–12 now stands as the best record ever for NSU during the D-I years, as does the Spartans’ 13–3 conference record. It marked the most overall wins since the 1994–95 season and the most conference victories since 1995–96. In addition, it kept alive NSU's streak of finishing .500 or better in conference play, a streak that began in 1991–92 and includes every year in the MEAC except for a first-season transitional year.

A senior-led squad defeated Howard, Florida A&M and then Bethune-Cookman, 73–70, at the 2012 MEAC Championship to capture the first-ever conference title for the men's program since moving into the MEAC and Division I in 1997. NSU was not done, though, as the No. 15 seed Spartans pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever in NCAA tournament history just six days later.

Facing No. 2 seed Missouri – a team several experts believed would advance to the Final Four and could have been a No. 1 seed – in a West Region matchup on March 16, NSU used its size advantage and a huge game from senior center Kyle O’Quinn to shock the Tigers and the nation in an 86–84 upset in the NCAA second round.

The Spartans became the fifth No. 15 seed (at the time) to defeat a No. 2 seed and the third MEAC school to accomplish the feat. No. 3-ranked Missouri became the highest ranked team to ever lose its first game of an NCAA tournament since the field expanded to 64. The victory over the Big 12 tournament champion Tigers was nominated for “Best Upset” at the 2012 ESPY Awards.

Later on in the summer of 2012, O’Quinn, an unheralded high school player from Queens, New York, whose only D-I scholarship offer was from NSU, was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 49th overall pick in the NBA draft. No Spartan basketball player had been drafted since 1988, and no MEAC player had heard his name called either since 1998.

Evans won several awards. He was named the MEAC tournament's Most Outstanding Coach and!the Clarence “Big House” Gaines Award winner, given out by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association to the top minority basketball coach in Division I.

He also earned HBCU Coach of the Year honors from Boxtorow.com, and Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Coach of the Year accolades.

As a result of the team's success, Evans, who was in his 10th year overall on the Spartan coaching staff, was rewarded with a contract extension in June 2012 that will keep him with NSU through the 2016–17 season.

2012–13 season

Evans guided the Spartans to a 21–12 overall record, including a perfect 16–0 mark in MEAC play, but lost its conference tournament opener to Bethune-Cookman. By virtue of winning the conference regular season, Norfolk State earned a bid to the 2013 NIT where it faced Virginia in the opening round, losing 67–56.

FIU

On April 15, 2013, Evans accepted the job at Florida International, replacing Richard Pitino.^[3]

On April 2, 2018, FIU parted ways with Evans after five seasons.^[4]

Head coaching record

College

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Norfolk State Spartans (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)(2007–2013)
2007–08	Norfolk State	16–15	11–5	2nd
2008–09	Norfolk State	13–18	9–7	3rd
2008–10	Norfolk State	11–19	9–7	4th
2010–11	Norfolk State	12–20	8–8	6th
2011–12	Norfolk State	26–10	13–3	2nd	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2012–13	Norfolk State	21–12	16–0	1st	NIT First Round
Norfolk State:		99–94 (.513)	66–30 (.688)
FIU Panthers (Conference USA)(2013–2018)
2013–14	FIU	15–16	7–9	8th
2014–15	FIU	16–17	8–10	T–7th
2015–16	FIU	13–19	7–11	T–9th
2016–17	FIU	7–24	3–15	13th
2017–18	FIU	14–18	8–10	T–7th
FIU:		65–94 (.409)	33–55 (.375)
Total:		164–188 (.466)
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

Related Research Articles

William John Donovan Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He coached previously for the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015 to 2020. Before moving to the NBA, he served as the head basketball coach at the University of Florida from 1996 to 2015, and led his Florida Gator teams to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007, as well as an NCAA championship appearance in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Pitino</span> American basketball coach (born 1982)

Richard William Pitino is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the New Mexico Lobos men's team. From 2013 to 2021, he was head coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team.

LeVelle DeShea Moton is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the men's basketball team at North Carolina Central University. He was a former player at North Carolina Central, having graduated in 1996.

The Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represents Norfolk State University, located in Norfolk, Virginia, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They currently compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Spartans are currently coached by Robert Jones and play their home games at the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (7,000). The Spartans men's basketball team is best known for defeating the #2 seeded Missouri in the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 86–84, the first tournament appearance for Norfolk State. It was only the fifth time that a 15th seed has defeated a 2nd seed. Norfolk State has qualified for the NCAA tournament at the Division I level three times, in 2012, 2021, and 2022.

The 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 7, 2011 with the and ended with the 2012 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament's championship game on April 2, 2012 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The tournament began with four first-round games on March 13–14, 2012 in Dayton, Ohio, US, followed by second and third rounds on Thursday through Sunday, March 15–18, 2012. Regionals games were played on Thursday through Sunday, March 22–25, 2012, with the Final Four played on Saturday and Monday, March 31 and April 2, 2012.

The 2011–12 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represented Norfolk State University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by fifth year head coach Anthony Evans, played their home games at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall and are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 26–10, 13–3 in MEAC play to finish in second place. They were the champions of the MEAC Basketball tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid in the 2012 NCAA tournament, the school's first ever appearance in the tournament. As a 15 seed, the Spartans shocked the 2 seed Missouri in the second round, 86–84. This was only the fifth time in NCAA Tournament history that a 15 seed defeated a 2 seed, with the last coming in 2001. Norfolk State would fall to Florida in the second round.

Kyle Brandon O'Quinn is an American professional basketball player for the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association. He played for the Norfolk State Spartans, and led them to a victory over the #2 seed Missouri Tigers in the second round of the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. He was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft with the 49th overall pick, by the Orlando Magic.

The FIU Panthers men's basketball team represents Florida International University in Westchester, Florida. The school's team currently competes in Conference USA. They are led by head coach Jeremy Ballard and play their home games at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

Pendarvis Williams is an American basketball player for the Proger Chieti of the Italian Serie A2. He played college basketball for Norfolk State University, where in the 2012–13 season he was named an honorable mention All-American.MBA ERDENET MINERS

Robert Jones is an American basketball coach, currently the head men's basketball coach at Norfolk State University. He was named interim head coach on April 15, 2013, and was named full head coach in February 2014. He grew up in South Jamaica, Queens, NY. In 2019, he was awarded the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award.

Jermaine Bishop is an American professional basketball player for the Leones de Ponce (basketball) of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Norfolk State Spartans and Saint Louis Billikens.

The 2017–18 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represented Norfolk State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by fifth-year coach Robert Jones, played their home games at the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in Norfolk, Virginia as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 14–19, 11–5 in MEAC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the No. 5 seed in the MEAC tournament, they defeated Maryland Eastern Shore before losing to North Carolina A&T in the quarterfinals.

The 2017–18 North Carolina A&T Aggies men's basketball team represented North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Aggies, led by second-year head coach Jay Joyner, played their home games at the Corbett Sports Center in Greensboro, North Carolina as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 20–15, 11–5 in MEAC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They defeated Delaware State and Norfolk State to advance to the semifinals of the MEAC tournament where they lost to Hampton. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Liberty.

The 2018–19 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represented Norfolk State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by sixth-year coach Robert Jones, played their home games at the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in Norfolk, Virginia as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 22–14 overall, 14–2 in MEAC play to finish in first place, and win the MEAC regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the MEAC tournament, they were upset in the championship game by No. 3 seed North Carolina Central. As a conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, and not selected to participate in the NCAA tournament, they were awarded an automatic bid to the NIT. Given a No. 8 seed in the Alabama bracket, they upset No. 1 seed Alabama in the first round, then were defeated in the second round by No. 4 seed Colorado.

The 2019–20 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represent Norfolk State University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by seventh-year coach Robert Jones, play their home games at the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in Norfolk, Virginia as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The 2019–20 North Carolina Central Eagles men's basketball team represented North Carolina Central University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by 11th-year head coach LeVelle Moton, played their home games at McDougald–McLendon Arena in Durham, North Carolina as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 19-14, 13–3 in MEAC play, winning the MEAC regular season championship. They defeated Delaware State in the quarterfinals of the MEAC tournament. They were scheduled to play the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between Bethune–Cookman and Morgan State in the semifinals, but the remainder of the tournament was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID pandemic.

The 2020–21 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represented Norfolk State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by eighth-year head coach Robert Jones, played their home games at the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in Norfolk, Virginia as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. With the creation of divisions to cut down on travel due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they played in the Northern division. They finished the season 17–8, 8–4 in MEAC play to finish in tie for first place in the Northern division. They defeated North Carolina Central in the quarterfinals of the MEAC tournament and advanced to the championship when North Carolina A&T withdrew from the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols. They defeated Morgan State to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 16 seed in the West region. They defeated Appalachian State in the First Four, but were eliminated by No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga in the first round.

The 2021–22 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represented Norfolk State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by ninth-year head coach Robert Jones, played their home games at the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in Norfolk, Virginia as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 24–7, 12–2 in MEAC Play to finish as regular season champions. They defeated Delaware State, Morgan State, and Coppin State to win the MEAC tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 16 seed in the East Region where they lost in the first round to Baylor.

The 2022–23 Coppin State Eagles men's basketball team represented Coppin State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles, led by sixth-year head coach Juan Dixon, played their home games at the Physical Education Complex in Baltimore, Maryland as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 9–23, 4–10 in MEAC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. They lost to Norfolk State in the quarterfinals of the MEAC tournament.

The 2022–23 Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball team represents Norfolk State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by tenth-year head coach Robert Jones, play their home games at the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in Norfolk, Virginia as members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

References

↑ "FIU hires Norfolk State's Evans to replace Pitino". 15 April 2013.
↑ "Norfolk State Athletics". Norfolk State University. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
↑ Kurtenbach, Dieter (April 16, 2013). "FIU hires Norfolk's Anthony Evans". The Orlando Sentinel . p. C5. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
↑ "FIU parts ways with coach Evans". gwinettprepsports.com. April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "FIU hires Norfolk State's Evans to replace Pitino". 15 April 2013.

[2] "Norfolk State Athletics". Norfolk State University. Retrieved 2008-01-04.

[3] Kurtenbach, Dieter (April 16, 2013). "FIU hires Norfolk's Anthony Evans". The Orlando Sentinel . p. C5. Retrieved December 4, 2020.

[4] "FIU parts ways with coach Evans". gwinettprepsports.com. April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]