When Ben Evans arrived at Delaware Christian School for his freshman year, he’d never played a second of organized basketball.
By the time he left in 2015, he was off to Malone University on a basketball scholarship.
Fast forward another four years and, well, Evans has again taken his basketball career to another level … making it an actual career.
He recently signed a professional contract to play for the Depiro Basketball Club in Malta, a European island nation off the southern coast of Italy. Depiro competes in the Maltese 1st Division with a schedule that runs from November through April.
He’ll report to the team in September.
“Signing my first professional contract gave me a great feeling of accomplishment,” Evans said. “It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m very excited about the next step.”
The first two steps, DCS and Malone, don’t necessarily scream pro pipeline. They’re both small — Delaware Christian is a Division IV school in basketball and Malone is D-II at the collegiate level — but Evans said he was determined to make the most out of his time at both.
“DCS was a good place to learn the game through experience and prepare for the possibility of playing in college,” he said. “Division II basketball was a big leap for me, and it took a couple years to adjust to the speed and physicality of college ball, but coach Casey Kaufman has established a fantastic program at Malone and I learned a lot about the game from him and his staff.”
Next stop: Malta.
“I’m really looking forward to living and playing basketball in another country,” Evans said. “The game will be different, but I believe I’m ready for it. I think it’s going to be a great experience.”
It’s not every day a kid from Delaware Christian earns a basketball scholarship. Most players at Malone don’t go pro when they graduate, either. That said, Evans showed it’s possible. It just takes a little dedication.
“I made the decision early in high school to give it (basketball) my best shot,” he said. “I made workouts an important part of my life.
“I also have so many friends, family and coaches who believed in me and helped me reach my dream however they could. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Evans averaged a career-high 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds over the course of 28 games for the Pioneers last season. He also dished out 35 assists and blocked 19 shots while shooting 45.3% from the field.
