Tyreke Evans

Dressed in red prison scrubs and a long-sleeved white T-shirt, Jamar Evans, cousin of basketball standout Tyreke Evans, sat quietly in a Delaware County courtroom yesterday, waiting to hear just how long he would spend in prison for the murder of a Chester man. In the rear of the large courtroom, two sheriff deputies and their canine companions also waited, watching for signs of trouble from the supporters gathered for Evans and the family of...

American Christian senior Tyreke Evans will be named a McDonald's all-American tomorrow, according to sources close to the situation. The 6-foot-6 guard will participate in the McDonald's All-American Game on March 26 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Evans, who could not be reached for comment, would become the second Delaware County player to participate in the prestigious event; Barry Bekkedam of Archbishop Carroll was named a McDonald's all-American in 1986. Evans also would be the third Southeastern Pennsylvania player in the last three seasons to play in the game.

Tyreke Evans, the super-talented American Christian Academy guard and MVP of the McDonald's All- American Game, said last night that he was leaning heavily toward picking Villanova after making an official visit with the basketball coaching staff Tuesday night. "After eating with Jay and talking to Jay, he kept it real with me," Evans said of the meeting with Villanova coach Jay Wright. "He told me the things I wanted to hear and some things I didn't want to hear but will make me a better player.

The American Christian Academy & Prep School, a small private school that was housed in a church in Aston, Pa., and was famously noted for high school basketball star Tyreke Evans, will close its high school and sports programs, several sources confirmed Monday afternoon. The decision was revealed Sunday at a church service by the new administration, headed by Pastor Ed Trinkle, who was not available for comment yesterday. According to several sources, Trinkle has decided to downsize the school to preschool and grade school for financial reasons.

LIKE JUST about every NBA player who doesn't know if and when the upcoming season will begin, Sacramento Kings star Tyreke Evans has busied himself preparing as if there will be in the near future. And just like many of his peers, he is no closer to knowing what's going on than the fans who pay to see him play. "People think that we know more because we're players, but we're just like them, we're clueless," Evans said yesterday at the Science and Discovery High School in his native Chester, where he was joining with VSP Vision Care to help provide free eye exams to students in need.

Lawyers for Tyreke Evans say their client had no knowledge his cousin, a passenger in the car he was driving, was carrying a gun or intended to shoot it the day a Chester Township man was killed. Lawyers for the family of Marcus Reason, the man killed by Jamar Evans in November 2007, say that is not believable. Tyreke Evans, a Sacramento Kings rookie point guard, and his cousin are among four men named in a wrongful-death civil suit filed in December in Delaware County. The family of Marcus Reason is asking for a judgment in excess of $50,000.

Tyreke Evans, the gifted 6-6 shooting guard from American Christian and the country's top unsigned basketball player, will likely commit to Memphis, according to several sources close to Evans and his recruiting process. Evans will officially make his announcement at 3 p.m. tomorrow at American Christian. Evans, who will play with the nation's top high school seniors in the Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, was noncommittal yesterday and says that Memphis, Villanova and Texas are all still in the running.

On paper, Lamont Peterson is listed as a strength and conditioning coach. In reality, the Philadelphia native is much more. Peterson is an adviser, liaison, promoter, protector and extension of the family to some of the top professional, college and high school basketball players in the area. He has worked with Sacramento Kings rookie Tyreke Evans, Minnesota Timberwolves' Wayne Ellington, Syracuse University's Scoop Jardine, the Academy of the New Church's Rakeem Christmas and Savon Lloyd-Goodman, and Perry Ellis of Wichita Heights High in Kansas, to name a few. Christmas and Ellis are regarded as two of the nation's top high school players, according to various recruiting services.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - If you're a 76ers fan, consider putting down this newspaper. Because this is a story about Tyreke Evans, who's given hope and energy to the previously floundering Sacramento Kings. Because this is a story about a Philly kid, a graduate of American Christian Academy in Delaware County, whose ball-on-a-string skills and beyond-explosive first step have turned the Kings from who-really-cares into gotta-check-them-out. If you're a Sixers fan, consider putting down this newspaper because it might be painful knowing Sacramento now has the thing - that thing - which your team can't seem to find: an identity.

Only Tyreke Evans knows for sure where he's headed for college. But that hasn't stopped every two-bit Internet "insider" from claiming he has the goods on the American Christian blue chip senior-to-be. The latest rumor that has the recruiting Web sites and message boards aflutter is that Evans has orally committed to Louisville. Evans, one of the most coveted recruits ever from Southeastern Pennsylvania, said that couldn't be any further from the truth. "I have a pretty good idea why it got started," said Evans, a 6-foot-5 guard from Chester.

The NBA-leading Miami Heat stretched their winning streak to seven games Tuesday night with a 120-108 pounding of the visiting Sacramento Kings. Dwyane Wade scored 30 points and added 10 assists, Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh each scored 20 points, and LeBron James added 18 points for the Heat, who have won each of their games during this streak by at least 12 points. Isaiah Thomas scored 20 of his 24 points in the third quarter for Sacramento, which dropped its sixth straight.

NEW YORK - Tyreke Evans looks much older than 22, plays older, and certainly feels older. After being named a McDonald's High School all-American in 2008 while playing for American Christian Academy in Aston, the 6-foot-6 guard from Chester appeared to be on the fast track to the NBA. He stayed just one year at the University of Memphis, was the No. 4 player selected in the 2009 NBA draft, by the Sacramento Kings, and was named rookie of the...

JEREMY LIN put aside his record-setting scoring to hand out a career-best 13 assists, and the New York Knicks got back to .500 with their seventh straight victory, 100-85 over the Sacramento Kings last night. Lin added 10 points, focusing more on his role as a distributor while others torched the Kings for 51 percent shooting. Landry Fields had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Bill Walker and Steve Novak each chipped in 14 points. "As a point guard, my field goal attempts have been really high, and I don't think that's necessarily good," Lin said.

JUST BECAUSE star guard Maurice "Doo-Wop" Watson is a senior and already committed to Boston University, don't think college scouts have scratched Boys' Latin Charter off their gotta-see list. Watson's backcourt partner is a 5-7, 160-pound junior named Yahmir Greenlee, and since he boasts skill and terrific academics (3.9 GPA), schools such as Saint Joseph's, Drexel, Penn, Quinnipiac "and Division IIs by the dozens" are already sniffing. Yesterday, Greenlee totaled 21 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals as the visiting Warriors topped Engineering and Science, 62-59, in what eventually became a pulsating Public League round-of-16 playoff; it was also a Class AAA semifinal.

THE SACRAMENTO Kings fired coach Paul Westphal yesterday, cutting ties after two-plus seasons amid a slow start and an escalating dispute with center DeMarcus Cousins. Assistant coach Keith Smart, let go by the Golden State Warriors this summer after one season, was named interim coach hours before the Kings defeated the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 103-100. Marcus Thornton scored 27 points and Tyreke Evans added 16 for the Kings. A talented and athletic - albeit raw - roster led by Westphal is 2-5 and in last place in the Pacific Division.

LeBron James scored 26 points, rookie point guard Norris Cole came up with 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and the Miami Heat nearly blew a 20-point lead before beating the Boston Celtics , 115-107, Tuesday night in Miami. Dwyane Wade finished with 24 points and eight assists for Miami, which got 18 from Chris Bosh and twice saw its lead cut to three in the final minutes. Cole delivered the answer both times with a pair of jump shots, and the Heat escaped.

On Sunday, the city's most famous arena will host basketball's most famous stars. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul are headlining Sunday night's "Battle for I-95," at the Palestra on Penn's campus, a game featuring more than a dozen NBA players, benefiting charity, and attempting to keep locked-out NBA stars somewhere near the spotlight at a time when a labor dispute is quickly pushing professional basketball to the background....

What: Charity basketball game featuring NBA stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul. Where: The Palestra, University of Pennsylvania campus. When: Sunday, 6 p.m. Doors open to public at 5 p.m. Teams: Team Melo (James, Anthony, Durant, Paul, Gary Neal, Josh Selby, Donte Green) vs. Philly (Lou Williams, Hakim Warrick, Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Ronald Murray, Aaron Owens, Jason Thompson, Wayne Ellington, John Salmons, Lynn Greer, Kyle Lowry, Tyreke Evans)