Basketball has given Heshimu Evans an opportunity to see the world, both before and after he played for Kentucky’s 1998 national championship team. A native of the Bronx, he played in several countries with the New York Gauchos AAU team before beginning his college career. After transferring to UK from Manhattan, he played in all 39 games for the Wildcats in 1997-98, averaging nine points and five rebounds per game. He is remembered for his high-energy style of play that provided a spark whenever he entered a game for the “Comeback Cats.” The next year, as a starter, he averaged almost 12 points per game, just behind leading scorer Scott Padgett. Heshimu went on to a 15-year professional basketball career in Portugal, France, Japan, Angola and Spain before returning to Kentucky.
