Evan Earl Battey (born September 27, 1998) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant basketball coach at the University of Colorado. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes. He was named second-team All-Pac-12 as a senior in 2022.
.jpg) Battey with Colorado in 2020 | |
| Colorado Buffaloes | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant coach/quality control analyst |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 27, 1998 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 259 lb (117 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Colorado (2018–2022) |
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–2024 |
| Number | 21 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2022–2023 | Rilski Sportist |
| 2023–2024 | Lugano Tigers |
| As coach: | |
| 2024–present | Colorado (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
editBattey started playing high school basketball at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies in Los Angeles. He averaged 11 points and 11 rebounds per game as a freshman. As a sophomore, Battey averaged 20 points and 14 rebounds per game, leading his team to its second straight CIF Los Angeles City Section Division IV title. For his junior season, he transferred to Villa Park High School in Villa Park, California. In his fifth game of the season, Battey scored 44 points, two shy of the school record.[1] As a junior, he averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds per game.[2] Battey was ruled ineligible for his senior season, as he had repeated ninth grade and exhausted all eight semesters of athletic eligibility.[3] While sidelined, he served as a coach for Villa Park's big men and junior varsity team.[4] He committed to playing college basketball for Colorado over offers from Arizona State, Miami (Florida) and Purdue, among others.[5]
College career
editBattey sat out for the 2017–18 season as an academic redshirt, because he did not graduate from high school in four years.[6] In December 2017, he suffered a stroke while playing basketball with his friends, and had two seizures later in the day.[7] Battey rehabilitated for five months, including physical therapy and speech therapy.[8] As a freshman at Colorado, he averaged 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.[9] In his sophomore season, Battey became a regular starter and averaged 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.[10] As a junior, he averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and was named to the All-Pac-12 honorable mention.[11] As a senior, Battey averaged 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and was named second-team All-Pac-12.[12]
Professional career
editBattey was undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. On August 11, 2022, Battey announced he would be playing for BC Rilski Sportist of the National Basketball League in Bulgaria.[13][14] The following season, Battey joined the Lugano Tigers of the Swiss Basketball League in Switzerland.[15] During his time with the Tigers, he averaged 19.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.[16]
Coaching career
editOn July 8, 2024, Battey announced he would be returning to the University of Colorado to become an assistant coach and quality control analyst.[17]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Colorado |  Redshirt
| ||||||||||
| 2018–19 | Colorado | 36 | 11 | 21.3 | .484 | .188 | .705 | 4.4 | 1.2 | .5 | .3 | 8.1 |
| 2019–20 | Colorado | 32 | 32 | 24.8 | .526 | .353 | .694 | 5.9 | 1.0 | .5 | .3 | 8.9 |
| 2020–21 | Colorado | 32 | 32 | 25.7 | .498 | .118 | .825 | 5.3 | 1.0 | .4 | .3 | 10.1 |
| 2021–22 | Colorado | 33 | 33 | 28.5 | .502 | .488 | .759 | 4.7 | 1.2 | .6 | .5 | 12.4 |
| Career | 133 | 108 | 25.0 | .502 | .390 | .748 | 5.0 | 1.1 | .5 | .4 | 9.8 | |
Personal life
editBattey's father, Earl III, played college baseball at UCLA and is a longtime Los Angeles Police Department officer. His grandfather, Earl Jr., was a five-time Major League Baseball All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove winner. Battey's uncle, Ed Sanders, was a boxer and won the gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics.[18]
References
edit- ^ Whitehead, Brian (January 6, 2016). "New kid on the block: Villa Park High center Evan Battey seemed to fall from the basketball heavens. Is he too good to be true?". Orange County Register. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Moseman, Johnny (September 28, 2016). "Unique big man Evan Battey commits to Colorado". The Left Bench. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Fryer, Steve (June 29, 2016). "Basketball: Villa Park's Battey ruled ineligible". Orange County Register. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Graham, Pat (November 6, 2018). "Battey returns to court for Colorado after suffering stroke". Associated Press. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Metivier, Sam (September 27, 2016). "Top basketball recruit Evan Battey commits to the Buffaloes". The Ralphie Report. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Andre, Troy (October 26, 2017). "Freshman Forward Evan Battey To Redshirt 2017-18 Season". University of Colorado Athletics. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Godwin, Cealey (January 4, 2019). "My life after a stroke: The Evan Battey story". KUSA. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Newman, Kyle (December 8, 2018). "Evan Battey perseveres past stroke, eligibility issues to emerge as pivotal freshman for CU Buffs basketball". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Andrews, Kendra (January 9, 2020). "Two years after a stroke, Evan Battey is playing an integral role with the Buffs". The Athletic. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Rooney, Pat (March 28, 2020). "CU basketball player review: Evan Battey". BuffZone. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Andre, Troy (April 29, 2021). "Buffs Hand Out Team Awards At Season Celebration". University of Colorado Athletics. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ "2021-22 Pac-12 Men's Basketball All-Conference honors and Annual Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Wadleigh, Matt (August 11, 2022). "Evan Battey announces pro ball team". Colorado Buffaloes Wire. USA Today.
- ^ "Център от Колорадо е следващото ново име в ротацията на Рилски". rilskibasket.com. БК "Рилски Спортист". August 11, 2022.
- ^ Buila, Maddalena (September 15, 2023). "Ecco il nuovo volto dei Tigers: "Puntiamo tanto sui giovani"". Corriere del Ticino.
- ^ Rooney, Pat (July 12, 2024). "Evan Battey excited to begin new journey as assistant coach with CU Buffs". BuffZone. MediaNews Group.
- ^ Andre, Troy (July 8, 2024). "Evan Battey Returns To CU As An Assistant Coach". University of Colorado Athletics.
- ^ Rooney, Pat (June 23, 2018). "Recovery from stroke a unique, demanding challenge for CU Buffs' Evan Battey". BuffZone. Retrieved October 15, 2021.