Lake County Gazette

Evan Boudreaux is determined to stand as an example for his Dartmouth Green Wave teammates, no matter how great the challenges he faces may grow to be.

A somewhat surprising, but clearly drastic change of course, and an early season of disappointments haven’t done much to break his resolve.  

Dartmouth is off to a 3-15 start under first-year coach David McLaughlin, who replaced longtime signal-caller Paul Cormier. But through it all, Boudreaux has been as steady as he ever was during a freshman season that saw him net Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors and be ranked by Bleacher Report as the 13th Most Complete Player in college hoops.

Over the Waves’ first eight games, Boudreaux averaged 18 points and eight rebounds, just a shade under his freshmen year Ivy League totals, 20 and 10, that came along with setting eight first-year records at the school.

But none of those numbers means much compared with what really drives the 6-8, 220-pound steamrolling forward.

“I’d trade it all for a few more wins,” he told the Lake County Gazette. “It’s great to be doing well personally, but none of that means as much as winning.”

That’s the Boudreaux Lake Forest High Coach Phil LaScala remembers, where Boudreaux finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, leading the team to a regional title during his senior season.

“The numbers are what jump off the page at first glance, but the thing that stands out most about him to me is that he was such a fierce competitor,” LaScala said. “He was one of the hardest-working guys we’ve had, and his demeanor never changed. It’s the kind of thing that tends to rub off on all the guys he’s around.”

And now it’s McLaughlin’s job to craft the Green Wave into a contender that surely will be molded partly in Boudreaux’s full force image.

“He doesn’t take any plays off," McLaughlin said. “He’s a talented guy that plays hard every game, every night. That’s who we’re striving to be as a program.”

For Boudreaux, more and more, there’s a growing possibility that the journey won’t end in Hanover or in Ivy League play, and that a professional hoops career could be on his radar.

Coming into the season, one college scouting service described him as a player who has the “ability to score from anywhere on the floor, making him a threat every time he has the ball in his hands.”

The assessment continued, “add in his basketball IQ and court vision, and his game goes to another level.”

In Boudreaux’s world, he’ll cross that bridge only when he comes to it, though he admits there is growing interest in what could be on the other side for him.

“My goal has been to play pro since I was little,” he said. “I know that requires a lot of hard work, and I’ll focus on it when the time comes. Right now, I’m just focused on this season.”