The recent play of Shannon Evans, former Nansemond River High School basketball standout, has given a glimpse of the extraordinary to the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, where he has emerged as a starting point guard in his sophomore year.

During the week that straddled the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015, Evans produced the first triple-double in his school’s history during a 76-50 win over host Binghamton University, The State University of New York.

“I set my career-high in the same week,” Evans said, referring to his 33-point performance in a 92-73 home win against Cornell University four days later. “It was like a historical week.”

And for his efforts, he received a flood of accolades. He was named Male Scholar Athlete of the Week by the Mid-American Conference, and he was also named the Lou Henson National Player of the Week, the College Sports Madness High-Major Player of the Week, the Mid-Major Madness Player of the Week, the Mid-American Conference MAC East Player of the Week and the Big 4 Player of the Week.

“He deserved all the attention and the recognition that he got for that week,” Buffalo coach Bobby Hurley said.

After that week’s games, the coach said, he told Evans, “I don’t think I ever had a week like you just had.”

This is particularly remarkable praise, given Hurley’s status as one of the best point guards in the history of college basketball and winner of two NCAA Division I national championships with Duke University.

Against Binghamton, Evans finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the first triple-double in the Mid-American Conference this season and the first in Buffalo’s nearly 100-year history.

“We’ve been at the Division I level for about 25 years, so we’ve had a lot of guys that have been close,” said Brian Wolff, associate director for athletic communications for the University at Buffalo.

Evans said it meant a lot to achieve the milestone

“I kind of found out after the game,” he said. “While I was doing it, I didn’t know.”

In fact, he had another goal in mind.

“I was aiming for a double-double,” he said. “I’d been close” in previous games.

Nansemond River coach Ed Young affirmed Evans has been working on increasing his assists, which marks a transition from his duty when he was with the Warriors.

“When he played for us, he was more of a scorer. I wanted him to shoot,” Young said.

The coach later added that for “most (point guards) at the college level, they want playmakers,” and he said Evans has worked “and made himself into a decent Division I point guard at his level.”

At just 6’1”, it did not seem likely for Evans to rack up double-digit numbers on the boards, but he said for the most part, “I was just getting long rebounds.”

Coach Hurley said, “Shannon does everything that a coach could ask for to win. So in that particular game, it became an opportunity to rebound and help us in that department.”

Against Cornell, Evans scored his career-high 33 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, including 8-of-11 from three-point range, tying for third in school history for three-pointers in a game.

“He just was in a zone out there,” Hurley said.

“We’ve been keeping up with him,” Young said. “We’re just very excited for him, and obviously, very proud.”

Evans played heavy minutes last season off the bench, but he has started every game so far this year, currently averaging 16.2 points, five assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.

“I can’t be any more excited about his development and his future,” Hurley said. “I think he’s the type of player that can carry you in tournament situations and when the season’s on the line. We’re building something really special, and he’s a big part of it.”

Evans is enjoying personal success, but he values team success more.

“You can have the triple-double, you can have my career-high,” he said. “Just give me a championship, and I’ll be good.”

Buffalo (11-4, 2-1) hosts Miami University of Ohio this afternoon.