By Greg Bates
Correspondent
ST. CLOUD, Minnesota – Brehna Evans’ sophomore season couldn’t have started any better.
The former West De Pere athlete is in her first year starting on the Division II St. Cloud State University (SCSU) women’s basketball team.
Evans had a breakout two-game stretch during the week of Jan. 13 and was awarded Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) North Player of the Week.
In two wins for the Huskies, she averaged 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists.
She scored a career-high in points (23) and assists (6) against Minnesota State.
“It was special,” said Evans about winning the weekly award. “It’s a big compliment to me and my teammates.”
Evans said her teammates got her involved.
“My teammates were big,” she said. “I was getting hot, and they were getting me the ball. They kept confidence in me and kept me going.”
The sophomore point guard started three games last season and took over as a full-time starter this year.
“Her game has grown and matured,” said SCSU women’s basketball coach Lori Fish, whose team is currently 17-5 overall and 14-4 in the NSIC. “She’s feeling comfortable in our system after she’s been in it for a year.”
Evans averaged 4.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman.
“As a freshman, I wanted to play, push myself and see if I could get some minutes, and I think I accomplished that,” said Evans, who is majoring in community health with the thought of becoming a physical therapist.
Evans sat behind senior point guard Mackenzie Uter last season.
“She was a great role model for me,” Evans said. “She paved the way and showed me what to do, so this year I felt confident stepping into the role.”
Coming from West De Pere, where she averaged 24.7 points per game as a senior, Evans said it took a little time to transition to a faster pace at the next level.
“It was a rude awakening,” she said. “You know it’s going to be a quicker game, but you don’t know how much of an adjustment it’s going to be until you get in there.”
Fish said she and the coaching staff expected Evans to be an every-game starter as a sophomore.
“She has the potential to be a special player,” Fish said. “Someone who we thought could be a difference-maker in our program, and she’s starting to do that.”
Unlike high school, Evans isn’t relied on as the team’s top scorer.
She said her game has changed since playing at West De Pere.
“I’ve turned into a pass-first guard,” she said. “In high school, it was easy for me to get what I wanted, but now, everyone is bigger, faster and stronger, so I had to get the ball to my teammates more.”
Evans is leading the team in assists (3.4 per game) and steals (1.7), is second in rebounding (4.9) and fifth in points (10.4).
“We are an unselfish team, and that starts with our point guard,” Fish said. “She knows when to get people the ball. We’re playing well right now, and they feed off of her. She’s a calming person on the floor.”
Even though Evans isn’t the top scoring option, she’s come into her own as a scorer of late.
She put up 20-plus points three times and averaged 18.3 points per game during a six-game stretch in January.
“She’s looking for her shot more, which has helped us because she’s good at creating opportunities for herself,” Fish said. “She can get to the basket and knock down threes. She’s one of the toughest people to guard because she can create her own shot. We saw that in high school, too. She can score in a variety of ways, but I’m most impressed with her defensively and how much pride she has at that end of the floor.”
Evans said she’d like to be remembered as one of the best point guards to ever play at the school.
“It would be a cool honor to have that said about me,” she said. “That’s the goal.”
Fish said she believes Evans will keep getting better, and she’s looking forward to the continued progress.
“She has grown since the beginning of the year and is an extension of the coaching staff on the floor,” she said. “She’s starting to understand what we need from her. I believe the sky is the limit. She’s capable of being a tremendous player. She does so many things well, but her game is going to get to another level.”