High School

Iowa High School Basketball Standout Makes College Commitment

AJ Evans of Cedar Rapids Xavier commits to James Madison for basketball

Dana Becker

AJ Evans of Cedar Rapids Xavier committed to James Madison to play basketball.
AJ Evans of Cedar Rapids Xavier committed to James Madison to play basketball. / AJ Evans/X

One Iowa high school boys basketball standout has made his college decision official.

Cedar Rapids Xavier High School senior AJ Evans committed to James Madison, the power forward announced on social media.

The 6-foot-9, 215-pounder helped the Saints reach the state tournament semifinals last year, averaging 11.5 points with 7.5 rebounds, two blocks and over an assist per game. Evans competes on the AAU circuit for Murray Elite 17U.

AJ Evans Held Several Division I Offers

Evans had received offers from Yale, Penn, Jacksonville, Navy and Western Illinois, along with receiving interest from Georgetown, San Diego State, Lehigh, Liberty and a handful of others.

As a sophomore, Evans scored 101 points with 81 rebounds and 18 blocks. He shot almost 57 percent from the field last season and is one of three key returning starters back this winter for the Saints. 

Evans also plays for the Cedar Rapids Xavier football team, as he has three receptions for 44 yards on the year. He caught a touchdown last season on the gridiron.

James Madison has a New Head Coach This Season

James Madison is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and competes in the Sun Belt Conference. Preston Spradlin enters his first season as head coach, replacing Mark Byington, who left for Vanderbilt.

Under Byington, the Dukes won 82 games in four seasons, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2024. They also advanced to the NCAA Tournament this past season.

Spradlin, a native of Kentucky, previously was the head coach at Morehead State.

More Iowa High School Sports Headlines

feed

Published |Modified
Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in northcentral Iowa and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in 2022 focused on the state of Iowa. Along with providing coverage of football and wrestling, Dana also spotlights cross country, swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball and softball. He began writing for High School on SI in 2023.

Home/Iowa