Class of 2014

TJ Evans was a 2014 graduate of Apex High School and he had a truly remarkable basketball career. He led his Apex teams to three straight regular season conference titles, each of those years leading the team in scoring while also being named a three-time “Conference Player of the Year.” His sophomore season, which was his first on varsity, he averaged 20 points per game and his team finished with a 26-4 record—one of the best in school history, if not the best. He also led the team to the 2012 Conference Tournament Championship that year after beating Green Hope in the finals at Green Hope. 

During his senior year, he averaged 19 points per game and led the Cougars to the 2014 4A State Championship! Along the way, he was named East Regional MVP, where the Cougars took down Clayton in the first game and Millbrook in the East Regional Final the very next night at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville. His performances in Fayetteville were legendary, going 17-17 from the free throw line in those two games, both of which were tightly contested and went down to the wire. TJ hit a shot at the end of the game to force overtime against Clayton, and he simply took over the game late versus Millbrook to put the Cougars into the State Championship game against Lake Norman in historic Reynolds Coliseum. In the 4A State Title game, TJ scored 23 points and was named the Most Outstanding Player for Apex as we won our first and only state championship in men’s basketball. 

TJ scored 1,775 points in his Apex career. At the time, that was the most points scored by a player in school history. He finished his career with a 68-21 record. TJ always wanted to take the last shot of every game if it was needed. On his senior night in front of a packed Cougar Den facing a very good Panther Creek team, he rebounded a missed free throw by one of his teammates and put the ball in off the glass to cap off an incredible 15-0 run to win the game by one point.

Beyond his many basketball accomplishments, TJ is described by his coach as a wonderful person who cares for his family and especially his two younger brothers. What is important to remember about TJ is that while his talent is remarkable, his work ethic is second to none.