The state of Tennessee is not a traditional hotbed for big-time basketball recruits, however, there are some exceptions along the way.

One such exception is Cleveland High School star guard Maguire Evans, who has over 1,000 career points and is well-known across the state as a sniper and a three-point shooter.

Evans has been a big part of Cleveland’s basketball success inside the state and he talked about it during a recent conversation with High School On SI.

“I feel like my season has gone pretty well,” said Evans, a deadly three-point shooter. “We are winning some games but also losing some games we should be winning. I just feel like in the second half of this season.”

Cleveland has a goal of going to states, but first things first.

“I would think my goal and our team goal is to get to Murfreesboro, but before we do that we gotta take care of our district and region, which I think we have a really big shot and winning both of those,” said Evans.

Evans has started picking up some attention from schools across the state and the nation who want him to come play for them. This process has been a “blast,” but if he continues at this rate the attention will only grow. 

“This recruiting process has been a blast, and I’m keeping all my options open right now. All the schools that have reached out to me and extended offers have definitely stood out. I really appreciate them believing in me and my basketball ability to help their programs succeed.”

Shooting isn’t something that you just wake up with talent-wise. You have to work and continue to learn every single day. That’s what separates the Stephen Curry and the Lamelo Ball type of athletes from others who don’t succeed as much.

However, for Evans, it is an obsession.

“My shooting ability definitely separates me from others in the state. Shooting has been my obsession with the game ever since I was in elementary school, and it’s something I take pride in, and making sure I do it every day with consistency.”

College is coming up fast for the Cleveland High School athlete. What will his future college team be getting?

“My future college is going to get an unselfish player, a dog on the defensive end, a knockdown shooter, a kid who just wants to win and doesn’t care who gets the credit. Whatever my coach needs me to do I’m going to do it.

“Something I tell coaches all the time that reach out to me is fit. I’m not worried about the level I play at in college. I’m just worried about the fit and making sure I fit what they are trying to do on and off the court so that we can win games. I also just want to say thank you to all the coaches who have reached out to me from all levels. Wherever I end up, I just want them to know I’m going to impact them immediately by being a vocal leader on and off the court and being a great teammate. So thank you again to all the coaches who believed in me and are still continuing to reach out to me and yes, my recruitment is still 100% open.”

Follow High School On SI throughout the 2024 off-season and 2025 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

Vanderbilt basketball coach Shea Ralph had a few choices when drawing up the play down one against No. 15 Tennessee. She could give the ball to star forward Khamil Pierre, a monster athlete who’s often unstoppable in the paint. She could choose veteran Iyana Moore, the team’s best shooter. Or she could go to star freshman Mikayla Blakes, who had equaled Pierre’s 21 points in the game.

Ralph chose Pierre. She received the ball on the inbounds from Blakes, then drove to the basket, generating an open look for the lead. But she missed, and that’s when Blakes came in. When Pierre released the ball, Blakes stood just beyond the free-throw line. But by the time Pierre’s shot rolled off the rim, Blakes was there. She leaped, pushing the ball into the basket, and it dropped, giving Vanderbilt the 71-70 victory.

With that, Vanderbilt women’s basketball (15-4, 2-3 SEC) had its first win over the Tennessee Lady Vols in five years and the first rivalry win under Ralph. Blakes, a McDonald’s All American and the No. 8 player in the Class of 2024 who chose the Commodores over a long list of blue bloods, including Tennessee, had her first superstar moment. Blakes said it was the best moment of her basketball career.

“I couldn’t tell you what I saw,” Blakes said. “I mean, I saw the ball go up, and then I was thinking it was going in, and then it came off the rim right into my hands. So I had to make that.”

The Commodores led most of the game against the Lady Vols (15-3, 3-3). But a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter gave Tennessee the lead, with the Lady Vols going up by as many as five with just over two minutes to go.

But several hustle plays got Vanderbilt back in it. The Commodores forced Tennessee to call timeout when it couldn’t get the ball in on an inbounds. After that timeout, the Lady Vols got the ball in but got tied up at midcourt, giving the ball back to Vanderbilt. Pierre made two free throws to take the lead back with 31 seconds to go.

But the Commodores allowed an open layup on the other end, giving Ralph 4.9 seconds for the win. That’s when Blakes stepped in.

Vanderbilt has been in a slow build under Ralph. The Commodores finally got back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade in 2024, but it was as a First Four team. Vanderbilt won all but one regular-season game against teams ranked below it in the SEC but didn’t win a single game against a higher-ranked team. The Commodores came close to their first statement win at LSU on Monday, but Vanderbilt couldn’t finish the deal and lost by six.

COURT STORMING How much Vanderbilt basketball has to pay Tennessee for storming court after upset of Vols

“I told them before this game, there’s a fork in the road for us,” Ralph said. “We’ve had a couple of really tough losses where we got smacked. We have ones where we’re really close on the road, and we lost and our team is tired of being right there. They said that we’re tired of being right there. We want to be there. And I said, Well, we must keep working. … Do we just, you know what, we’re right there, or do we really lock in and say, No, we’re going to get there now?”

The Lady Vols are known for pressuring the ball, forcing turnovers and getting in transition. But Vanderbilt forced Tennessee into a slower-paced game, one without a ton of fastbreak opportunities and just 22 combined turnovers. Both teams shot below 40% from the field, but the Commodores made a higher percentage of threes (32% to 23%) and went 19-for-22 on free throws compared to 12-for-15 for the Lady Vols.

This was the game, and the shot, that announced Vanderbilt as a force to be reckoned with in the SEC. Not just a team that will rack up wins by beating lower-tier programs but one that can win big games too. Blakes has been a big part of that. Players like her who could’ve gone anywhere out of high school, and players like Pierre and Moore who could’ve had transfer opportunities, have stayed with the Commodores because, as Ralph said, they don’t want the easy way out.

“Today, I think not only did the players buy in, but now they fully believe, because they saw what it what it is,” Ralph said. “They saw how we can do it and they achieved the result that we were after.”

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.

Tennessee hosted Auburn commit Hezekiah Harris on Saturday for a junior day and the Alabama native was impressed by Rocky Top.

“I enjoyed getting to bond with the coaches,” Harris said. “Getting to know them and stuff and the environment they have built at Tennessee.”

He committed to Auburn for a reason, but has been willing to listen to other schools and take visits. What is the main reason that Tennessee has caught his eye?

“Just the coaches and coach Chop,” Harris said. “He really stands out. He is a great guy.“

Levorn Harbin has developed into quite the asset for Tennessee. He resonates with recruits and builds strong bonds with everyone involved.

“He is a great coach and I feel like he can really help me with my game. Just being able to develop me. Just working on the run and stopping the run.”

He and his family also got to spend time with head coach Josh Heupel on Saturday.

“He a good coach,” Harris said. “He got close with my family today. I like him.“

And having the thoughts, approval and backup of his family is certainly something he wants and leans on.

“I would say that’s one of the biggest things,” Harris said. “To have them signed off. They liked it and I liked it.”

One of the main reasons that he got back to Tennessee for the first time in two years is how Tennessee has been recruiting him. They have been talking to him every day and that stood out enough to push him to want to take another look. The plan going forward is to visit Auburn next weekend, but to continue to look at schools and take more visits. 

“Just keep visiting schools and seeing what I like,” Harris said.

And what exactly is he looking for?

“Really that family environment and the fan base,” Harris said. “And to have coaches that I know are going to be able to develop me.”

Tennessee would like to add multiple edge pass rushers in the 2026 class.