Dana Evans practically ripped the microphone away from her coach.
Rod Fisher had just recognized Evans as the MVP of the West Side (Gary, Indiana) team at the school's annual basketball banquet. He then asked if she wanted to say a few words. The 5-foot-6 point guard didn't hesitate.
"I want to thank you all for coming out," the No. 7 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Super 60 for the 2017 class said. "Thanks for supporting us."
No spotlight is too bright for the outgoing Evans, who has a lot to be thankful for after a junior season in which she led the state in scoring with a 35.8 average. She also averaged 5.4 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 5.0 assists.
Her stunning numbers have made her the talk of the town in Gary, a city hard hit by an economic downturn. Gary's population has dipped from a high of 180,000 to less than 80,000, but many of the folks who remain know Evans.
"Pretty much everywhere I go," Evans said, "people will say, 'Hey, are you Dana Evans? Do you play basketball?'
"It's weird, but it's cool."
Evans, who has yet to commit to a college but has numerous offers, said people often ask if it's OK to take a picture with her. She spoke at an elementary school recently and said she spent 40 minutes just taking photos with the students.
Tough as steel
Evans scored 30 or more points 18 times last season. She scored 40 or more nine times, and she was never held to less than 20.
It takes physical skill but also mental fortitude to put up huge numbers when everyone is geared to stop you.
"Pretty much everywhere I go, people will say, 'Hey, are you Dana Evans? Do you play basketball?' It's weird, but it's cool." Dana Evans
But that's what Evans did, showing a steely resolve that comes, in part, from her parents, who met while playing basketball at South Suburban College in South Holland, Illinois.
Damon, who now works in a steel mill, was a 6-3 wing. Shwanda, who works in a factory, was a 5-7 guard.
But for Dana, who is the fourth of five kids, it isn't just her family that makes her so difficult to stop on the court.
It's Gary, too.
Damon said his daughter has had numerous opportunities to leave West Side and to abandon the city and even the state. But she remained loyal to her school and her coach.
"If you can make it in Gary in these tough times, you can make it anywhere," Damon said. "That's going to help Dana in the long run.
"A lot of people have moved out of Gary. It's tough to get jobs. Crime is pretty bad, and if people can't get a job in the steel mills, they move out."
Lots of athletes and celebrities were born and raised in Gary, most notably Michael Jackson. But, at its core, Gary is a blue-collar town.
"It's a tough place," Dana said. "People don't have a lot. It's a poor area, and a lot of people are struggling. You see people out on the streets, not doing anything."
Rising star
Evans isn't one of them. This week, she's in Colorado trying to earn one of the 12 roster spots on the USA team that will compete in the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 championships July 13-17 in Valdivia, Chile.
Evans has what it takes to be on Team USA, according to her coach.
Fisher has compared Evans to Skylar Diggins, the former star guard at Washington (South Bend, Indiana) who went on to a huge college career at Notre Dame and in the WNBA.
"Dana is super-quick, great first step, and gets a lot of points in the paint," Fisher said. "She takes a lot of deep 3s like Stephen Curry. ... I don't really like it, but when she makes 3s, it's not near the line. It's five or six feet back."
Fisher has known Evans since she was in grade school.
In the summer before her seventh-grade year, Evans played at a Valparaiso University camp. Coaches saw her take a charge and were blown away by her abilities at such a young age.
"The Valpo coach at the time offered her a scholarship," Fisher said. "That's the youngest kid he has ever offered.
"Dana needs to get in the weight room at the next level and bulk up, but she is deceivingly strong. Teams double- and triple-teamed her this year, tried to deny her the ball. But they weren't quick enough.
"She's not a finished product, but she is pretty close. She needs to work on her mid-range jumper and hone her ability to get past the second and third defenders."
That first defender?
Please ...
More work ahead
Evans' goals for her senior year include becoming the first Gary player to win Indiana's Miss Basketball award.
She also wants to lead West Side to a state title, something no Gary girls' basketball team has ever done. The 2005 West Side team made it to the state title game, but that's as far as it went.
Evans, who has a 3.0 GPA, has other talents besides basketball. She danced ballet from ages 4 to 13, and she also ran track before committing herself fully to hoops.
"When I got my hands on that basketball," she said, "it was over."
Evans wants to study communications or journalism so she can stay involved in basketball even after she's done playing.
As for college, Evans has toured Purdue and Marquette and has some other visits lined up -- Louisville on June 7, Indiana on June 9 and UCLA at the end of next month. She doesn't have her finalists yet, but she wants to make her ultimate decision by mid-August.
The college that signs her will be getting a fierce competitor.
Fisher said that after West Side was routed 82-54 by Penn (Mishawaka, Indiana) in the 2016 regional playoffs -- four wins shy of a state title -- Evans did not talk to him for two weeks. "She won't talk to her parents. She won't talk to me," Fisher said of Evans, who scored 27 points in that game. "That's how driven she is -- she's not a good loser."
After that loss, Evans finally saw her coach at an awards photo shoot. She hugged Fisher, and the two immediately started talking about how to get better next season.
"Whew, losing drives me crazy -- you don't understand," Evans said. "I always think I have to be perfect. I know I can't be, but that's what I want to be. It's hard for me to ever say I played a good game, especially if we lost."