Evan Battey

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Evan Battey

| image = Evan Battey 2020 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Battey with Colorado in 2020

| position = Assistant coach/quality control analyst

| conference = Big 12

| team = Colorado Buffaloes

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 8

| weight_lbs = 259

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|9|27}}

| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| high_school =

Los Angeles CES
(Los Angeles, California)
Villa Park
(Villa Park, California)

| college = Colorado (2018–2022)

| draft_year = 2022

| career_start = 2022

| career_end = 2024

| career_number = 21

| years1 = 2022–2023

| team1 = Rilski Sportist

| years2 = 2023–2024

| team2 = Lugano Tigers

| cyears1 = 2024–present

| cteam1 = Colorado (assistant)

| highlights =

Second-team All-Pac-12 (2022)

}}

Evan Earl Battey (born September 27, 1998) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant basketball coach at the University of Colorado. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes. He was named second-team All-Pac-12 as a senior in 2022.

High school career

Battey started playing high school basketball at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies in Los Angeles. He averaged 11 points and 11 rebounds per game as a freshman. As a sophomore, Battey averaged 20 points and 14 rebounds per game, leading his team to its second straight CIF Los Angeles City Section Division IV title. For his junior season, he transferred to Villa Park High School in Villa Park, California. In his fifth game of the season, Battey scored 44 points, two shy of the school record.{{cite web |last1=Whitehead |first1=Brian |title=New kid on the block: Villa Park High center Evan Battey seemed to fall from the basketball heavens. Is he too good to be true? |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2016/01/06/new-kid-on-the-block-villa-park-high-center-evan-battey-seemed-to-fall-from-the-basketball-heavens-is-he-too-good-to-be-true/ |website=Orange County Register |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=January 6, 2016}} As a junior, he averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds per game.{{cite web |last1=Moseman |first1=Johnny |title=Unique big man Evan Battey commits to Colorado |url=https://theleftbench.com/blog/2016/09/28/unique-big-man-evan-battey-commits-colorado/ |website=The Left Bench |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=September 28, 2016}} Battey was ruled ineligible for his senior season, as he had repeated ninth grade and exhausted all eight semesters of athletic eligibility.{{cite web |last1=Fryer |first1=Steve |title=Basketball: Villa Park’s Battey ruled ineligible |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2016/06/29/basketball-villa-parks-battey-ruled-ineligible/ |website=Orange County Register |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=June 29, 2016}} While sidelined, he served as a coach for Villa Park's big men and junior varsity team.{{cite web |last1=Graham |first1=Pat |title=Battey returns to court for Colorado after suffering stroke |url=https://apnews.com/article/sports-college-sports-basketball-stroke-california-84045329197e4b9cad90061d0b19b433 |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=November 6, 2018}} He committed to playing college basketball for Colorado over offers from Arizona State, Miami (Florida) and Purdue, among others.{{cite web |last1=Metivier |first1=Sam |title=Top basketball recruit Evan Battey commits to the Buffaloes |url=https://www.ralphiereport.com/2016/9/27/13077876/top-basketball-recruit-evan-battey-commits-to-buffs |website=The Ralphie Report |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=September 27, 2016}}

College career

Battey sat out for the 2017–18 season as an academic redshirt, because he did not graduate from high school in four years.{{cite web |last1=Andre |first1=Troy |title=Freshman Forward Evan Battey To Redshirt 2017-18 Season |url=https://cubuffs.com/news/2017/10/26/mens-basketball-freshman-forward-evan-battey-to-redshirt-2017-18-season |website=University of Colorado Athletics |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=October 26, 2017}} In December 2017, he suffered a stroke while playing basketball with his friends, and had two seizures later in the day.{{cite web |last1=Godwin |first1=Cealey |title=My life after a stroke: The Evan Battey story |url=https://www.9news.com/article/sports/my-life-after-a-stroke-the-evan-battey-story/73-2394cdb6-0d42-4bf5-9623-eee01d8c9aab |website=KUSA |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=January 4, 2019}} Battey rehabilitated for five months, including physical therapy and speech therapy.{{cite web |last1=Newman |first1=Kyle |title=Evan Battey perseveres past stroke, eligibility issues to emerge as pivotal freshman for CU Buffs basketball |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2018/12/08/cu-buffs-evan-battey-recovery-stroke/ |website=The Denver Post |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=December 8, 2018}} As a freshman at Colorado, he averaged 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.{{cite web |last1=Andrews |first1=Kendra |title=Two years after a stroke, Evan Battey is playing an integral role with the Buffs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1520597/2020/01/09/two-years-after-a-stroke-evan-battey-is-playing-an-integral-role-with-the-buffs/ |website=The Athletic |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=January 9, 2020}} In his sophomore season, Battey became a regular starter and averaged 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.{{cite web |last1=Rooney |first1=Pat |title=CU basketball player review: Evan Battey |url=https://www.buffzone.com/2020/03/28/cu-basketball-player-review-evan-battey/ |website=BuffZone |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=March 28, 2020}} As a junior, he averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and was named to the All-Pac-12 honorable mention.{{cite web |last1=Andre |first1=Troy |title=Buffs Hand Out Team Awards At Season Celebration |url=https://cubuffs.com/news/2021/4/29/mens-basketball-buffs-hand-out-team-awards-at-season-celebration.aspx |website=University of Colorado Athletics |access-date=October 15, 2021 |date=April 29, 2021}} As a senior, Battey averaged 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and was named second-team All-Pac-12.{{cite press release|url=https://pac-12.com/news/2022/3/8/2021-22-pac-12-mens-basketball-all-conference-honors-and-annual-performance.aspx|title=2021-22 Pac-12 Men's Basketball All-Conference honors and Annual Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva|publisher=Pac-12 Conference |date=March 8, 2022 |access-date=March 8, 2022}}

Professional career

Battey was undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. On August 11, 2022, Battey announced he would be playing for BC Rilski Sportist of the National Basketball League in Bulgaria.{{cite news |last1=Wadleigh |first1=Matt |title=Evan Battey announces pro ball team |url=https://coloradobuffaloeswire.usatoday.com/2022/08/11/evan-battey-announces-pro-ball-team/ |work=Colorado Buffaloes Wire |agency=USA Today |date=August 11, 2022}}{{cite web |title=Център от Колорадо е следващото ново име в ротацията на Рилски |date=August 11, 2022 |url=https://www.rilskibasket.com/news/centr-ot-kolorado-e-sledvashoto-novo-ime-v-rotaciyata-na-rilski |website=rilskibasket.com |publisher=БК "Рилски Спортист"}} The following season, Battey joined the Lugano Tigers of the Swiss Basketball League in Switzerland.{{cite news |last1=Buila |first1=Maddalena |title=Ecco il nuovo volto dei Tigers: "Puntiamo tanto sui giovani" |url=https://www.cdt.ch/sport/ecco-il-nuovo-volto-dei-tigers-puntiamo-tanto-sui-giovani-327446 |work=Corriere del Ticino |date=September 15, 2023}} During his time with the Tigers, he averaged 19.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.{{cite news |last1=Rooney |first1=Pat |title=Evan Battey excited to begin new journey as assistant coach with CU Buffs |url=https://www.buffzone.com/2024/07/12/evan-battey-excited-to-begin-new-journey-as-assistant-coach-with-cu-buffs/ |work=BuffZone |publisher=MediaNews Group |date=July 12, 2024}}

Coaching career

On July 8, 2024, Battey announced he would be returning to the University of Colorado to become an assistant coach and quality control analyst.{{cite web |last1=Andre |first1=Troy |title=Evan Battey Returns To CU As An Assistant Coach |date=July 8, 2024 |url=https://cubuffs.com/news/2024/7/8/mens-basketball-evan-battey-returns-to-cu-as-an-assistant-coach |publisher=University of Colorado Athletics}}