Gibsonburg's Elly Evarts verbally commits to Kent State for basketball
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Elly Evarts likely already had a spot on Shane Lawal's Michigan Storm Elite AAU basketball team following Evarts' freshman season at Gibsonburg.
It didn't hurt that Evarts scored 31 points in a victory over Toledo Christian for the first district crown in program history, with Lawal watching for the first time. Three years later, Lawal encouraged Evarts to follow her heart with a verbal commitment last week to continue her career at Kent State.
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Evarts, who set a Division I goal with her dad before her freshman season, didn't feel stress while trying to make her decision, but the relief took more weight off than she realized it would.
"I can go into the high school season not worried abut who is there," she said. "You know who wants you. I'm very excited for the upcoming year and very grateful for it all. Now, all I have to do is play basketball."
It was difficult for Evarts to say no to Belmont, while Ohio University and Duquesne were also considerations. She planned to wait until October, but saw no reason to delay the announcement.
Evarts said she felt like she fit in at Kent State on a visit in late June and all the boxes were checked, including being close enough to home for family to see her against Toledo and Bowling Green in the Mid-American Conference.
She found a place she could see herself at for five years.
"You never know; but I'm hoping to make an impact as a freshman," she said. "I'm excited about my decision. I'm looking forward to it. It's a winning program — I like to win — hopefully we can go in and get some championships right away."
Evarts was first-team all-state the past two seasons and second-team as a freshman. She reached 1,000 career points as a sophomore and established a program record by surpassing 1,460 career points as a junior. She once beat Old Fort with a 3-pointer from halfcourt.
She said her favorite thing high school memories are the hugs from teammates to share the celebration and the community support. She can't remember a larger, louder or more energetic crowd than the atmosphere when Gibsonburg beat visiting Danbury as a freshman.
So, what's left in high school?
"Win a state championship is the goal," she said. "We went to Division VII. We're hoping for regional and make a run from there. Win the league for the fourth year in a row. State is the priority."
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Gibsonburg's Elly Evarts verbally commits to Kent State for basketball