The IUPUI Athletics Department and head basketball coach Jason Gardner have announced the hiring of Aaron Evans as the men’s basketball program’s Director of Operations. Evans comes to IUPUI on the heels of helping nearby Marian University to back-to-back NAIA National Tournament appearances, including a Final Four berth in 2019. All total, he spent the past three seasons at Marian as an assistant coach, helping the Knights win 64 games during that stretch.
“The biggest thing about Aaron is that he’s always been a winner, even going back to when he was at Roncalli and Marian,” head coach Jason Gardner said. “He’s a guy that’s going to impact our program in a positive way, just based on the fact that all he knows is winning. He’s been a huge part of their success at Marian and he’s going to come here and prove to be a tremendous resource in terms of his ability to assist our coaching staff. He’s very detail oriented, he’s a tireless worker and just a really stand-up guy. We’re excited to have him on board.”
“I am very grateful for the opportunity Coach Gardner has given me to join his staff at IUPUI. Coach Gardner has a tremendous track record of success as a coach and former player,and I look forward to learning from him and the rest of the staff,” Evans said. “Joining the IUPUI program is a big step for me in my career and I am ready for the challenge. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of such a well-respected coaching staff and basketball program and I am ready to help the team in anyway that I can.
“I would like to thank Steve Downing, Coach Scott Heady and Marian University for giving the opportunity to jumpstart my coaching career. We made significant strides as a program the last two years and that is credit to the leadership of Coach Heady and Coach McClung. I am confident they will continue to bring much success to Marian University for years to come and I’m grateful to have been a part of a program that has given me so much as a player and coach.”
Prior to Marian, Evans served as the freshman head coach at Cathedral High School and led the team to a 13-game win streak and an Indianapolis City title. He has also served as an assistant coach on the Adidas AAU Circuit with EG10 and on the Under Armour AAU Circuit with G3 Grind.
During his playing career at Marian, Evans was a two a two-time NAIA All-American, earning honors in 2011-12 and 2013-14. He was also a three-time All-Crossroads performer, a two-time team captain and a Capital One Academic All-District Team.
Before transferring to Marian, Evans earned All-CCAC first team honors and was named CCAC Newcomer of the Year at Purdue University Calumet. He also holds the single-game scoring record at Purdue-Calumet with 51 points in a game.
After his collegiate career, Evans made the Eurobasket Tour Team where he competed against professional teams in Lithuania and Norway. Upon his return overseas, Evans played a season for the hometown Indianapolis Diesels before starting his coaching career.
Story Courtesy: Ed Holdaway (@EdHoldaway), IUPUI Sports Information
