<
>

Louisville adds third elite recruit to its 2017 class with verbal from No. 7 Dana Evans

Dana Evans says she became a more vocal leader during her time with USA Basketball over the summer. She also became the owner of a gold medal. Russell Lansford/Icon Sportswire

Score another big win for Jeff Walz on the women's basketball recruiting trail.

Dana Evans, the No. 7 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100, announced Tuesday night that she will be attending Louisville.

"I chose the Cards because of the relationship I built with the coaching staff," Evans said. "They're going to make me a better player."

Evans, a 5-foot-6 point guard, averaged 35.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a junior at West Side (Gary, Indiana). Over the summer, she won a gold medal with Team USA at the FIBA Americas U18 championships in Valdivia, Chile, averaging 8.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

In Evans, Louisville is getting an electric point guard and a scoring dynamo. She's elusive and is especially good in breaking down the defense and getting to the rim.

Evans becomes the third member -- and third top-25 prospect -- in Walz's 2017 recruiting class. She joins fellow point guard Lindsey Duvall, the No. 22 prospect in the nation, and post player Loretta Kakala, the No. 25 prospect. The Cardinals' 2016 recruiting class was ranked sixth in the country.

Evans, who said she considered about 40 schools, ultimately chose Louisville over Purdue and Tennessee.

Evans is just the third top-10 prospect in the 2017 class to commit, joining point guards Chasity Patterson (Texas) and Anastasia Hayes (Tennessee). Twelve of the top 20 prospects in the class -- including No. 1 Megan Walker, No. 2 Evina Westbrook and No. 3 Rellah Boothe -- remain undeclared.

The NCAA early signing period for women's basketball is Nov. 9-16.