LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Consider Dana Evans the WNBA’s biggest fan.
She doesn’t miss many games, a student of the league because she’s always dreamed of one day being in it.
“My dad even records them for me so I can watch them over and over again and take notes,” Evans said.
Evans could have forgone her final year of eligibility to be drafted in 2020, but she instead opted to return as Louisville’s lone senior.
"Knowing myself and knowing I how competitive I am, I wanted to continue to get better," Evans said. "I wanted to use this year as a year to work on things that I’ve always wanted to work on and get better to help me become a higher pick."
Evans’ return provides a huge boost to the Cardinals back court. As U of L’s starting point guard, she was named the ACC Player of the Year last season after averaging a team-high 18 points and more than four assists per game.
Known for her three-point shooting, Evans could make an even bigger contribution as the team’s undisputed leader.
"I think we all have the same goal, and that’s just to get better and win a national championship," Evans said. "That’s the good thing about this team: Everybody is willing to put the work in, do extra and do what they need to do to help the team.
"The leadership she’s brought has kind of changed the dynamic and changed the feeling of this team," U of L performance coach Kaitlynn Jones said. "This team is laser focused. Whenever it is that we’re going to get back on the court, we’re ready."
Staying prepared is really all the Cardinals can do right now as the COVID-19 pandemic looms large over the college basketball season.
"My mindset is everything happens for a reason," Evans said. "For now, we’re having a season. So my mindset is just to always think positive and work hard until you find out what’s going on ... We just don’t want to waste any time."
There's no time to waste, because there's just too much for Evans to do. Maybe it should be everyone else taking notes.
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