Prized Rice transfer Marcus Evans follows his former coach to VCU

The prized recruit in Mike Rhoades’ three-year tenure at Rice is following him to VCU.

Sophomore guard Marcus Evans announced on Twitter on Monday night that he will transfer to the Rams.

The addition of Evans is a massive pickup for Rhoades as he tries to keep VCU in its customary spot near the top of the Atlantic 10 pecking order.

A slippery 6-foot-2 guard with the ability to consistently create his own shot off the dribble, Evans averaged 19.0 points and 3.7 assists as a sophomore this season, after averaging 21.4 points as a freshman. The two-time first-team all-Conference USA selection chose VCU over Miami and Arizona, among others.

For Evans, the appeal of VCU went beyond the presence of his former head coach. Evans is from Chesapeake, Virginia, which is less than a two-hour drive from Richmond. Furthermore, VCU fits with Evans’ goal of going to a program that consistently makes the NCAA tournament and a conference that will provide him with consistently tougher competition.

When Evans becomes eligible to play for the Rams after sitting out next season, he’ll instantly be a key part of what should be a strong veteran core. The Rams graduate five seniors from last season’s 26-win NCAA tournament team, but they do have high hopes for sophomore-to-be De’Riante Jenkins, redshirt sophomore Samir Doughty and Maine transfer Issac Vann.

In Evans’ sophomore season at Rice, the Owls evolved from a perennial 20-loss laughingstock into a 23-win team that finished fifth in Conference USA. That success could be a glimpse of what’s ahead for Evans when he rejoins Rhoades in Richmond.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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