The Virginian-Pilot
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Five months ago, Chris Evans was a basketball star at Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake.
Tonight, Evans will suit up for unbeaten and nationally ranked Petersburg High in the Group AAA state semifinals.
Evans transferred to Petersburg before this season, shortly after he learned that his grades would keep him off the court in Chesapeake, where students must maintain a 2.0 GPA to play. Petersburg doesn't have a 2.0 rule. Instead, the school follows the statewide rule that says students who pass their subjects in the prior semester are eligible.
Evans' parents, Joe and Kathy, say they moved their son not for him to play basketball - a violation of state high school league rules - but to help him improve in his studies.
Petersburg is the only high school in the state that has been denied accreditation for 2008-09 because of continued low student achievement.
"I know you probably heard rumors, but we had to do what was best for Chris," Kathy Evans said. "It was all about his grades and had nothing to do with basketball. This was his senior year so he had to get his grades up. We couldn't take a chance with this being his senior year."
Attempts to reach Chris Evans were unsuccessful.
Evans, a 6-foot-6 forward, and Petersburg play King's Fork at 9 p.m. today in a Group AAA state semifinal at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Disqualified in Chesapeake, Evans moved in with his godmother in the Petersburg attendance zone and was eligible to play right away. His godmother is his guardian, and his parents remain in Chesapeake. In Petersburg, his parents said, he is away from the distractions of friends and other influences and forced to concentrate on his grades.
Virginia High School League deputy director Tom Zimorski declined to talk specifically about Evans but acknowledged that some school divisions have stricter eligibility requirements than others.
Evans' transfer took him to the only high school in Virginia that was denied accreditation for 2008-09 by the Department of Education because of low student achievement. Of Virginia's 1,860 public schools, only five - all in Petersburg - were denied accreditation.
Despite that, the Evanses insist the move was good for their son and that it wasn't for athletic reasons.
His parents say Evans has succeeded. This past semester, he called home to say he made honor roll with three A's and one C.
Kathy Evans said Petersburg's teachers and administration went out of their way to help Chris. She also credited a great support system at the school.
"I'm so proud of him because he went up there to improve his grades and that's what he did," she said. "He's also matured because he also realized that he brought all of this on himself. He sees so many people going out of their way to help him, and he appreciates it."
Petersburg athletic director Kerry Gray said there are many reasons Evans' grades have improved, including after-school tutoring and a lighter class load - four classes at Petersburg compared with six or seven at Deep Creek.
"It's actually worked out well for Chris because now he's going to have a chance to graduate now where he might not have had that opportunity with the extra classes," Gray said.
"It wasn't so much that Chris couldn't learn before or that he wasn't a good student. Sometimes it's just the situation you're in makes it tougher to learn."
Evans also is excelling on the basketball court. He's the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 15.6 points. He leads the team in rebounds (8.6) and steals (2.1) and is drawing recruiting interest from George Mason, Virginia Tech, Charlotte and High Point.
Petersburg coach Bill Lawson III said Evans has instantly become one of the team's leaders and describes him as a "great kid and a joy to be around."
Meanwhile, Evans' former coach at Deep Creek, Leroy Ricks, wonders if the transfer will pay dividends in the future.
"I still have a bitter taste in my mouth in how that went down," Ricks said. "We at Deep Creek had Chris' best interest in the long run at heart.
"In the short run, he is playing on a better and more talented team this year than we had. But it's yet to be seen how it will benefit him in the long run."
Larry Rubama, (757) 446-2273, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
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GET OFF CHRIS AND HIS FAMILY!!!!!!
Why is it anyone's concern? Chris Evans parents did what they needed to do for THEIR son.So what he moved schools? Obviously his parents wanted him to graduate and play basketball and boys do it every year.The ONLY reason people care is because PETERSBURG actually went farther than they expected.And you can whoop and holler about the academics all you want to but the school is working on them, i know as a senior that attends Petersburg i should know.This situation is really being blown up to be more than what it is.He is now on the honor roll. And he had a good basketball season. For all of those with negative comments; shut up.
yeah...everyone should leave
yeah...everyone should leave this kid alone...let him get through highschool...get into college...maybe become a pro-athlete and succeed like the Vick brothers.....
Evans
People need to mind their business. What were your grades like when you were in school??? Did you even play any sports or were you not good enough to even play. I can't believe these people are coming down this hard on this child and his family. The fact is to all the people that are blogging, you DON'T KNOW ANYTHING about him, except that he transferred to another school. You should be proud that he is achieving and that his parents made a decision that was for HIS best interest. There are lots of Virginia schools that are not accredited, but they have opportunities to reach their goals. To say that an entire school is dumb and they don't have good teachers and students is really disturbing. Whatever your opinions are of his family is just that; YOUR OPINION!
I believe he will make it whether it is in the classroom or on the court. I rather not see him in jail or dead.
Who would even know about Petersburg High?
This kind of thing happens every year in Virginia. However, it happens with players going to private high schools instead, where they can play their senior years there! In those cases, it's not even considered that newsworthy.
It would be interesting to have a follow-up article to find out how his parents found out about Petersburg High School! Did a college coach tell them about it?!
There are hundreds of public high schools in Virginia!
2.0
When I was in high school you had to maintain a 2.0 grade average to even belong to the "After School Clubs", Latin, Photo, Gun Club etc etc etc. What Subjects did this sudden scholar get his 3 "A's" and one C in. Yes he won't be getting shot in the district he is in, but those who got shot here had good enough grades to play by the rules and were accepted at a college or university.
This was just a scheme of the parents to let their son play basketball because if he stayed here he wouldn't so they sent him to a nonaccredited school district to stay with his GodParent. If he can't make the grades here, then he will more than likely be a failure in any higher education establishment. Then who will his parents and he blame for that?
Why
is this news? His parents can send him wherever they darn well please and for whatever reason. It's pretty clear that it's not about the academics as much as the athletics, but that's their business. If this kid can't maintain a 2.0, it's pretty obvious that he's not the sharpest crayon in the box, therefore, relying on his athletic ability presented a viable option. It's up to the parents to hold a standard regarding education and if they choose not to, so what. This story is all about stiring up trouble, stop snitchin Va. Pilot.
got to be kidding me!
Who ever thought such a thing could happen in high school basketball? My question would be "Who lead the kid down this path?". How did he or his parents know about Petersburg? No parent could be that 'dumb'to say what they were quoted as saying it was a move to 'improve' his academics! Truth be told where were they when their son was falling below the required 2.0? Probably cheering from the bleachers! You just don't become disqualified for grades in a week. So all the recruiting letters you probably have been getting, you need to know the difference between being "offered" and actually getting a scholarship! Grades play the biggest part, SAT's; you have to be eligble to play in college also. So good luck, you and your parents are going to need it. Hopefully if you have younger siblings, let you be the example of how not to be a student-athlete! Restriction and revoked privilages would have been the first options for failing not transfering you and your problem to Petersburg!Back to the original question "How did you find out about Petersburg?" Just doesn't add up, then again you probably didn't pass math or the smell test!
TEACHER MERIT INCREASES AT PETERSBURG HIGH
Let’s see, if we follow Obama’s Education Philosophy, then the teachers at Petersburg High deserve a merit increase because Evans’ grades improved, while the teachers at Deep Creek should be reprimanded or terminated!
Just like Franklin HS
Sounds as bad as the Franklin HS principal a few weeks back in the Virginian Pilot saying that the kids can't be expected to maintain a 2.0 minimum - its too hard!!!!!We'll lose them if they can't play sports!!!
We're not fooled, Evans family
I don't believe for one nanosecond that Chris Evans's parents transferred him for the sake of his grades - no parent who cares about their kid's grades would transfer him to an unaccredited school. And if they could get tutors and so forth in Petersburg, why not in Chesapeake? The answer is simple - this has nothing to do with "grades" but is all about almighty sports. How hard is it to maintain a 2.0 - a C average - and a 5-class minimum? If you can't manage that, you need to be in the classroom and not on the athletic field. Shame on Mr. & Mrs. Evans for pandering to their son this way and teaching him that sports is more important than education and a good work ethic.
The sad thing is, Chris Evans probably will get a college scholarship even with his subpar education, because so many colleges worship at the altar of sports. Meanwhile another student who's worked hard and made good grades won't be admitted because that spot was given to Evans for nothing more than his ability to dribble a ball.