Top Lexington High basketball senior leaving team midseason. Here’s what we know

It doesn’t look like Kaleb Evans will finish this high school season, or his basketball career, at Lexington.

The Wildcats’ starting point guard, leading scorer and one of the top seniors in the state is “no longer with the team” at this time, Lexington coach Elliott Pope told The State on Monday night.

“The Evans family informed us that their intentions are to move on from Lexington’s men’s basketball program at this time,” Pope said in a statement. “Lexington basketball wishes Kaleb the best with his future endeavors. As a state champion and thousand point scorer, Kaleb has left a significant impactful on Lexington basketball over the past two seasons. As has his father Kevin, who was a member of the 1996 state championship team, the Evans family tradition runs deep within the Lexington community.”

Evans posted a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) late Monday night.

“At the end of the day I gotta do what’s best for me and family , this life is all about taking risk, no bad blood with lexington or coach pope!!” Evans wrote.

Evans could possibly end up at Moravian Prep in North Carolina, according to Pope.

Evans was not with Lexington for the Wildcats’ home game against Catawba Ridge on Monday. Catawba Ridge defeated the Wildcats, 60-49.

Moravian Prep is located in Hickory, North Carolina and plays teams from across the Southeast and the played at The Bash at Ridge View High School earlier this year. Moravian features South Carolina signees Eli Ellis and Hayden Assemian. The two future Gamecocks also play with the YNG Dreamerz squad, which is affiliated Overtime Elite basketball league. The YNG Dreamerz played a game in Charlotte against Blue Checks at Myers Park High School.

Evans is the Wildcats’ leading scorer this season and was all-tournament selection at the Cayce Roundball Classic at Brookland-Cayce last month. He signed with Winthrop in November and was named to 2024-25 S.C. Basketball Coaches Elite Players list.

“Winthrop is receiving a great young man and hard worker from a fantastic family,” Pope said. “Kaleb is and will remain a Wildcat and we hope for nothing but a prosperous career at the collegiate level and for the remainder of his senior season regardless of where it reaches its culmination.”

Evans was a starter on last year’s Wildcats’ state championship team in the backcourt with South Carolina Gatorade Player of Year Cam Scott and the lone starter back from last year’s squad. The Wildcats defeated Byrnes, 67-48, for the program’s first state championship in 24 years.

Evans had 12 points in the championship game and averaged 14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, four assists and 1.9 steals last season.

Lexington entered Monday’s game with a 4-7 record and will begin region play Friday against Irmo.

There were rumors that Evans could leave in the fall for another school but he decided to stay at Lexington.

“Everybody thought I was going to leave just because we lost Cam and Jaxon (Prunty) and the whole senior class,” Evans said when he signed with Winthrop in November. “That wasn’t a big thing for me so that is why I stayed.”