“Players and coaches ended up liking him because he had a good background. He was the complete opposite of me, that’s why they liked him I guess. “
The bubbling Joey Crawford, whose tantrums were as legendary as they were problematic for his career, perhaps best summed up his colleague Hugh Evans.
This former referee, who died in July, will enter the Hall of Fame this weekend, presented by Reggie Miller and George Gervin. It’s a rarity for the Basketball Hall of Fame since men in gray are only only 16 now (before Hugh Evans therefore) within this illustrious institution. And only six to have operated in the NBA.
Hugh Evans has a huge record of 1,969 refereed matches between 1973 and 2001, plus 170 playoffs, 35 Finals and finally four All-Star Games. However, at the start, he was first a player, even drafted in 1963 by the Saint-Louis Hawks, in 79th position. Without ever playing a match afterwards.
“I did not know the player”concedes to the NBA website Lenny Wilkens, Hall of Famer who was refereed by Hugh Evans when he was a player but also a coach. “But I knew the referee he was. His integrity, his knowledge, his professionalism were remarkable. He was always ready to do his job. His preparation was magnificent. When we talk about great referees, we must mention his name. With him, we knew that things would be fair, that he was going to whistle what he saw. It was a pleasure to know him. “
“When we talk about great referees, we must mention his name”
Before his start in the NBA in the early 1970s, Hugh Evans had also made a name for himself in New York, refereeing matches at Rucker Park in Harlem. So much so that legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Walt Frazier already knew him when he took his first steps in the big league.
“There are referees who are obsessed with control. Hugh was the opposite of that,” continues Joey Crawford. “He had no problem going to see the brand’s table, talking to the coaches. He was discreet and only focused on the game.
After retiring in 2001, Hugh Evans will remain in the officiating world for another two years, supervising officials. Then, for his third attempt, last April, he learned that he was going to enter the Hall of Fame.
“I still haven’t put into perspective what that means”he recognized then for ESPN. “I’m still doing it. As soon as I hear that, I get chills, I cry, I’m happy. “
Unfortunately, three months later, he succumbed to a heart attack. His entry will therefore be posthumous, but the main interested party knew that he was going to be honored. Which makes his wife happy.
“He got an email from Russ Granik (former NBA No. 2)phone calls from Matt Winick (former head of referees)he received a lot of messages and calls”says Cathy Evans. “Doc Rivers wrote to him that he had talked about him for over an hour with other coaches. He was aware of all this and I’m just happy about it. “
