Elite '23 C Dennis Evans Commits to Louisville

The top-15 Class of 2023 prospect was let out of his National Letter of Intent with Minnesota last month.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Despite going 4-28 this season, the Louisville men's basketball program is kicking off their offseason with a bang.

Riverside (Calif.) Hillcrest center Dennis Evans, a former Minnesota signee who is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2023, announced Sunday that he has committed to the Cardinals.

Evans gave his verbal pledge to the Golden Gophers last October, signed with them during the November early signing period, but later requested to be released from his National Letter of Intent on Feb. 24. He held offers from Kansas, Texas, TCU, Florida State and others before originally committing to Minnesota, and went on an official visit to Louisville this weekend before committing.

Landing Evans is a massive and much needed recruiting win for Cardinals head coach Kenny Payne. While Louisville does have commitments from top-70 wings Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams Jr. and JUCO guard Koron Davis, they have struck out on several of their top targets in the 2023 cycle, such as D.J. Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw, A.J. Johnson, George Washington III and others.

Getting a commitment from Evans could be the moment that recruiting momentum shifts in Louisville's favor after missing on several transfer and high school targets since Payne was hired last March. The transfer portal is set to open up on Monday, and Class of 2024 five-star small forward Trentyn Flowers - another Cardinals target - is set to commit on Friday.

While center is not the biggest current roster need for the Cardinals, he is an outstanding addition to their recruiting class regardless. The 7-foot-1, 210-pound big man ranks as high as the No. 11 prospect in the nation according to Rivals.

Also sporting a 7-foot-7 wingspan and 9-foot-8 standing reach, Evans is the epitome of a rim protector. During his senior season for Hillcrest, he averaged 14.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.9 blocks per game. He nearly averaged a double-double over his four years at Hillcrest, putting up 10.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 blocks in 105 career games.

Evans' commitment is the latest roster management domino to fall following the end of Louisville's season. This past Friday, all three members of the Cardinals' 2022 recruiting class - Kamari Lands, Devin Ree and Fabio Basili - all entered the transfer portal.

(Photo of Dennis Evans via The U.S. Sun)

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