Natalia Chi
Dana Evans loves the left side of the floor. This is to her many years of credit the team forced her to do so as a young security guard learning the game.
Even though Evans’ right hand is her dominant hand, her left hand is a comfortable spot. Her coach and general manager James Wade and his third-year guard discussed getting her running more right.
But don’t get me wrong. Evans doesn’t live in his comfort zone. She is a student of the game and is always looking for ways to improve her. After spending her first two her seasons in her WNBA classroom and spending time behind her one of the league’s greatest players, Evans got the chance to head the class.
What she’s about to present has all the ingredients of a breakout season.
“I always want to be helpful,” Evans said. “That’s why I’ve worked on so many different parts of my game. So I don’t give anyone the chance to say, ‘She can’t do it.’ Or she’s not good at this. ”
Evans is fueled by skeptics. It’s a trait she shares with her 2021 WNBA Finals MVP, Kahleah Copper. So with this year’s free agency departures, including Gard Studies professor Courtney Vanderthroat, they headed to training camp with a full tank.
For the first time in over a decade, Sky’s backcourt role isn’t fixed.
Yes, Wade’s training camp has always been competitive, but the starting point guard position was set. This year, Wade has filled the hole left by the championship-winning veteran with a young up-and-coming talent.
When Evans looks at Sky’s reorganized roster, he knows he has a chance. But her approach hasn’t changed.
“Everything seems wide open,” Evans said. “[I’m] I go there with the same mindset that I’ve always been working on. I will keep my head down and do my best. ”
After averaging 4.3 points and 1.2 assists in 11.5 minutes in his second season in the WNBA, Evans was keen to improve certain areas of his overseas game. She recognizes a particular hot take on her that defines her game as her one dimension. According to some, she’s a shooter and that’s it.
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Evans has demonstrated her ability as a facilitator and adversarial defense, though her time on the floor is limited. Besiktas JK Istanbul’s Evans averaged a team-best 23.8 points and 5.8 assists, playing nearly 40 minutes per game.
The circumstances of Evans’ first two seasons as a professional provided her with a unique opportunity to study Vanderslaught’s game up close. Evans is proud to be a student of the game, but her development methods did not reflect her style of playing Vandersloot. Instead, she strategically studied multiple backcourt greats and learned how to blend aspects of their game with her own unique style.
“How would I see [Vandersloot] I did that,” Evans said. “When I wasn’t on the court, I was paying attention to how she ran the team during the game, throwing pocket passes and receiving pocket passes. Timing is everything. is not a throat, so be honest with yourself too.”
She may not be Vanderthroat, but in a minimal amount of time, Evans garnered a similar cult as Sky’s former floor general, who spent the first 12 seasons in Chicago.
That love was fully on display in Sky’s home opener last season, when Evans dropped a career-high 24 points, had five assists and four steals, and played alongside Vanderthroat in Sky’s starting line-up. Fans’ affection for the guard from Gary, Indiana was even more reflected during the game when chants of “Let Dana in” echoed throughout her arena as she sat on the bench at Wintrust. was.
“It’s so motivating and encouraging that people already believe in you when you haven’t accomplished much in the league,” Evans said. “To be honest, they even picked me up.”
Evans admits the limited opportunities in Year 1 and Year 2 were challenging. For a player driven by the chance to prove the naysayers wrong, how could they not?
But for a bright student like Evans, his first two seasons in the WNBA were by no means in vain. In 2023, everything Evans has learned and everything she’s been working on will be showcased like never before.
