Before He Made an Assist, Evans Got One

Brothers Keep Memphis Point Guard Grounded

GLENDALE, Ariz., March 25 -- Every once in a while, Tyreke Evans will grab a DVD in his dorm room, cue up the 1998 Spike Lee movie "He Got Game" and feel like he is watching a version of his life play out on a television screen. Evans empathizes with Jesus Shuttlesworth, the fictional basketball prodigy forced to navigate a world in which friends and foes alike try to latch onto him for nefarious reasons.

Long before Evans arrived at Memphis for his freshman season, he was christened a hoops phenom. He signed his first autograph at 9 and received national attention at 12. Before he played a college game, he appeared in a commercial, starred in a documentary and graced magazine covers.

Similar hype has chewed up many NBA hopefuls in the cutthroat world of amateur basketball, where street agents and handlers routinely attempt to cozy up to promising young players. Evans, who has become arguably the nation's best freshman, credits his success to a stable and unique support group that has kept him insulated from outside forces.

"They have been taking care of me with everything in basketball and not in basketball," Evans said. "Thank God I have them. A lot of kids don't have brothers like that. Some kids are living with coaches and handlers who basically handcuff them. . . . A lot of kids are taking money from coaches."

The foundation of Evans's inner circle is what he calls Team Tyreke, a group comprised of his four brothers, a cousin, a few other friends and Lamont Peterson, Evans's former personal trainer at American Christian School who was hired at Memphis as an administrative assistant.

"When people talk about 'Reke's entourage, it is his family and friends," said Evans's oldest brother, Julius. "And nobody can penetrate that."

The support network extends further. Another individual who has given the family advice is William Wesley, a longtime family friend who is considered one of the most powerful figures in college basketball because of his connections and relationships.

Wesley, who also had ties to former Memphis guard Derrick Rose, is a longtime friend of Memphis Coach John Calipari. Wesley sat behind the Memphis bench for each of the Tigers' NCAA tournament games, and he is close enough to players that he occasionally visits the locker room after games.

"I'm sure his knowledge and success will be able to help us," Julius Evans said. "I know that Wes knows millions of people. Hell, he knows Jay-Z; he knows Donald Trump. I wouldn't be surprised if he knows Barack Obama."

Evans's family does not consider Wesley -- commonly known as Worldwide Wes -- a member of Team Tyreke. But Evans's brother Reggie said Wesley is a "good friend and adviser" to the family, and someone they have known through ties to Dajuan and Milt Wagner in southern New Jersey. Evans called Wesley a friend of his brother, Reggie.

"We get good people around us that will only do the right thing for him," Julius Evans said. "Wes is one of those guys, but when it comes to decision-making, that is when we take over."

For example, Julius Evans recalled Wesley telling the brothers during the recruiting process: "'It's harsh to say, but your brother is a product, he is your product. It is your job to get the best for him because these colleges are going to make money off him. So why not in return get what he wants: If he wants to make an immediate impact, go to that school. Just don't go somewhere where he will sit on the bench because he is a freshman.'"