Senior Exit Interview: Bakari Evelyn
Bakari Evelyn had only one year with the Hawkeyes, but he made a huge impact on the team during his short stay. Unfortunately, it ended soon than anyone had hoped and he didn't get to play in his first NCAA Tournament game. The grad transfer guard discusses the quick end to the season, his future, and the future of the Hawkeyes in his senior interview.
Q: What have your feelings and emotions been the last two weeks with everything that has happened?
EVELYN: It’s been a whirlwind of emotions. I started off being disappointed and really in shock after the cancellation of the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament. Then it was the end of the school year and now I am back home in Michigan and we are locked down for the next two weeks. It almost feels like we are in a movie.
Q: Let’s go back to the Wednesday before the Big Ten Tournament. You guys practice and Butler and then you start seeing what was happening with the NBA that night and the Big Ten. Can you go back and discuss what you were seeing and feeling at that time?
EVELYN: It just happened so quickly. We had the practice at Butler and everyone thought we were having a regular tournament and no one thought anything else would happen. It wasn’t even something we thought about.
We went to the Minnesota/Northwestern game that night and by the time we got there, we heard the news about the Big Ten not allowing fans in the next day. That was in the span of like four hours where we went from a regular tournament to having no fans in the building. After that we went to dinner and by that time the NBA was suspending their season and that really got us thinking that maybe they could cancel our tournament.
We didn’t hear anything the rest of the night and went through our normal routine and preparation of watching some film and going over some things. Then early in the morning we went to breakfast and we didn’t hear anything more. We went through another film session after that and went back to our rooms and got ready to go over to the arena and then that’s when we heard something. It happened so quick and no one wanted to really believe it.
Q: How does Coach McCaffery break the news to you guys, and especially for the seniors it had to hit you hard.
EVELYN: Yeah, but it didn’t really hit me as hard in the moment. In the moment I thought we just weren’t going to play that day. It didn’t hit me that the season and in my case and the case of Riley and Ryan, our college careers were over.
There was some talk about maybe they would push back the NCAA Tournament or something like that and hold it in May and we were holding on to that hope. But, deep down we knew that it was probably done. We were going up the elevator to get changed and we got a text to come back down and we figured it out. Coach McCaffery tried to switch our focus from being heartbroken and sad about the season ending to being appreciative and proud of what we did this year. He said we knew we would have been in the tournament and we had a 20 win season and we did that through a lot of adversity and just kept fighting. He talked to us about what every player brought to the program and what the managers did as well. He told us everyone played a big role in the success of the team this year.
Q: I would imagine part of the reason you came to Iowa was to have the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time. A day later that was done. That had to be a hard moment.
EVELYN: That is a tough spill to swallow knowing that I was in the NCAA Tournament for the first time and it ends up being the first one that’s cancelled. I mean, you can’t make it up. I guess everything happens for a reason, but I don’t get the reason behind this. I am still thankful and appreciative to have been a part of this team this year. We had a great group of guys and great coaches and we made a lot of great memories that will last a lifetime.
Q: This was a fun season for Iowa fans. Once you got settled in at Iowa, you became a big part of the team’s success. How satisfying is that for you?
EVELYN: It’s definitely satisfying that I found my groove and play at a level that I felt I was capable of. The coaches and my teammates helped me along and it probably took me a little bit longer than I had thought, but I got my rhythm. I was happy that I could help the team in any way and win some games.
Q: What’s Fran McCaffery mean to you and what did you learn from him that maybe you didn’t know previously?
EVELYN: I love Coach Fran. I just talked to him the other day. He was really poised and strategic about what he did all year. I have never been around someone like that. He was so organized and prepared and I really always appreciated his professionalism. That’s something that maybe I hadn’t seen before. I have been in some good programs with good people, but the professionalism that he showed every day stood out. He had a plan every day and he was organized and you could see it by the way our guys were improving every day. He really does a great job of giving everyone, myself included, confidence to step up and make plays in every game.
Q: You have spent the year with Iowa basketball and know what’s potentially coming back next year. How good could that group be next season?
EVELYN: They are going to have a really good team. They have a lot of guys coming back, like Jack Nunge, who got hurt early in the year and Jordan will be back and Patrick will be back. They will have a lot of talent and be able to score the ball. I think they will be really long with more length with Jack in there and they can mix and match their lineup. Then of course you have the All American coming back too.
Q: What’s next for you? Are you exploring some things overseas?
EVELYN: I have already talked to a couple of agents and will continue to talk to other one’s and decide who I want to sign with and what direction I want to go. With everything going on, leagues don’t know when they will be up and running again. There are a lot of things up in the air, so I’m really just focusing right now on finding an agent.
Q: What was it like playing with Luka Garza this year and did he have an influence on you?
EVELYN: That’s my guy. People around the team know that I was the guy kind of gassing him up before each game. I tried to give him more of an edge. He just demands so much attention when he’s out on the floor. Whether he was screening, popping, posting up, or trailing, he draws so much attention that it opens up the floor for everyone else. At first it was kind of surprised by how open they were because of the attention he was drawing when they were double and triple teaming him. I kept thinking, wow, I am so wide open and you have to get accustom to that. He is the ultra-competitor and never ever wants to lose in anything. He works so hard, I mean so hard. I found myself being amazed by things he was doing on the floor when he was going off for 44 or 36 points and making it look so easy. I look back now and know I played with the best player in the Big Ten and probably the best player in the entire country.