2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster
Evan Battey
- Position:
- Forward
- Height:
- 6-8
- Weight:
- 259
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Los Angeles, Calif.
- High School:
- Villa Park
Career: Was on the floor for 88 wins, the most in team history. Didn't miss a game in his four-year career, playing in 133 with 108 starts. He was the 12th Buffalo to record 1,300 points and 600 rebounds. Finished his career ranking fourth in games played, eighth in starts, 15th in minutes (3,313) and 18th in points (1,307) and rebounds (667). Holds CU record for conference games played with 76. The 38th Buffalo with 1,000 career points and fourth member of his recruiting class in 2017 to reach that mark, joining McKinley Wright IV, Tyler Bey and D’Shawn Schwartz. Averaged 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds for his career shooting 50.2 percent overall from the field an 74.8 percent from the free throw line. Scored in double-figures 62 times, including six 20-point games and had eight career double-doubles.
2021-22 (Senior): Averaged 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds, ranking second on the team in both categories. Named to the All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team while earning honorable mention to the league's All-Defensive Team. Led the Pac-12 in 3-point accuracy both overall (.488) and in conference play (.541). Ranked ninth in overall field goal percentage (.502) and 18th in scoring. Averaged 14.3 points in three postseason games, tying for the team lead. Scored 19 points and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds against Oregon (3/10) in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament for his lone double-double of the season. Career and team season-highs with 27 points and six 3-point field goals at Utah (3/5). Scored a then-career high 22 points at home against Stanford (11/28) to reach 1,000 career points. Named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament team averaging 15.3 points while shooting 53 percent over three games. He led the Buffaloes against Duquesne (11/20) with 18 points and a career-best three steals. Made all six shots against Montana State (11/9) in the opener, his personal best for field goals made without a miss. Led the Buffaloes in scoring 10 times and scored in double-figures 22 times. A 2021-22 Senior CLASS Award First Team All-American. One of 10 finalists for the individual award. Team Most Inspirational Player Award for the fourth time and Tebo Family P.A.S.S. Award winner for a second time. One of two inaugural recipients of the Colorado Athletics Visibility Award (CAVA), contributing to the advancement of LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport. Took home the Male Career Athletic Achievement Award from the annual CU Sports Performers of the Year (CUSPY) Awards. Named to the All-Pac-12 Preseason Team as voted on by members of the media.
2020-21 (Junior): Earned honorable mention to the 2020-21 All-Pac-12 Conference team, averaging 10.1 points per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the field. Ranked second on the team in rebounding at 5.3 per game while leading the team in offensive rebounds for the second-straight year with 61. On the Pac-12 leaderboard, he was seventh in free throw shooting (.825), 10th in offensive rebounds (1.9 orpg), 13th in field goal percentage and 16th in overall rebounding. Earned Pac-12 All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 62.5 percent from the field (15 of 24) in three games. He scored 16 points, hitting 7 of 9 from the field, with eight rebounds in the championship game against Oregon State (3/13). Had a game-high 15 points to lead Colorado over California in the quarterfinals (3/11). Over five postseason games, he shot 62 percent (21 of 34) while averaging 10.8 points. Scored a season-high, and matched a career-best, with 21 points in the home win over Arizona (2/6). Made 7 of 9 from the field and hit a perfect 7 of 7 from the line including a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win. Had a pair of double-doubles, scoring 12 points with 10 rebounds in the win over Oregon (1/7) and the second with 13 points and a season-best 12 rebounds against Stanford (1/16). Major contributor to Colorado's school and Pac-12 record for free throw percentage in a season at .819 as he made 104 of 126 from the line, leading the team in both free throws made and attempted. Had a season-best string of 20 straight free throws made spanning five games Jan. 20-Feb. 6 and had two other streaks of 11 straight makes. Led the Buffaloes in rebounding 10 times and paced the Buffaloes in scoring on four occasions. Scored in double-digits 16 times - four of his top five scoring outputs came away from Boulder, including three true road games. Earned Colorado's Most Inspirational Player Award for the second-straight season.
2019-20 (Sophomore): Led Colorado in offensive rebounds (84) and ranked second in field goal percentage and total rebounding. Averaged 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 52.6 percent from the field (102 of 194). Third on the team in free throws made (75) and attempted (108). Fourth on the team in scoring and steals (17) and fifth in assists (32). His 84 offensive rebounds were 16 more than he had has a freshman (and in four fewer games) and the most by a Buffalo since Wesley Gordon had 100, and Josh Scott had 87, during the 2015-16 campaign (34 games). On the Pac-12 leaderboard, he was fifth in offensive rebounds (2.6 orpg), 10th in field goal percentage and 13th in overall rebounding. Had four double-doubles, including a 14-point, 11-rebound performance at Oregon (2/13). Had six games of double-figure rebounds, including a season high 13 against Wyoming (11/24). Scored in double-figures 13 times with a season-high of 20 against Prairie View A&M (12/19). In that game he was 10 of 11 from the free throw line, registering career-highs in both categories. His 10 free throws made tied for the team's season-high. Led the Buffaloes in rebounding seven times and paced the Buffs in scoring in six contests. Had 14 games of shooting above 50 percent with at least four field goals made. Earned Colorado's Most Inspirational Player Award following the season. One of two student-athlete representatives to serve on the Pac-12 Conference’s Mental Health Task Force. Named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player Development Coalition.
2018-19 (Redshirt Freshman): Made his long-anticipated Colorado debut, averaging 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He ranked third on the team in field goal percentage (.484), tied for second in blocked shots (12) and was fourth in rebounding. Second on the team in offensive rebounds with 68, a mark that ranked 11th on the Pac-12 leaderboard (1.9 orpg). Logged his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Norfolk State (3/25) in the second round of the NIT. It was his second double-figure rebounding game of the season, he had a personal-best 14 in the home win over Washington State. On the offensive end he had a career-best 21 points in the home win over USC (3/9), hitting 9 of 14 from the field. He had seven rebounds in that game - six on the offensive end, which was a team season-high. His field goal shooting improved to 54.4 percent during the Pac-12 regular season (56-103). Proved to be a player that when he got hot, he was rolling. In 11 games with at least four field goals made, he shot 65 percent in those contests (58-90). Scored in double-figures 11 times while leading the Buffaloes in scoring on four occasions. He also topped Colorado in steals six times while leading in rebounding in four contests. Averaged 7.3 points and shot 88 percent from the free throw line (14-16) in six postseason games. Winner of the team's Most Inspirational Award, voted on by his teammates. He took home the Male Freshman of the Year honor at the 19th annual CU Sports Performers of the Year (CUSPY) Awards.
2017-18 (Freshman): Sat out the season as an academic redshirt in the Colorado basketball program. The NCAA mandated the redshirt for Battey after he did not meet the initial eligibility requirement of graduating from high school within four years. Battey was a full participant in team activities, although he suffered a stroke in December which kept him from working out on the court during the second half of the season. He was the co-winner, along with George King, of the inaugural Tebo Family P.A.S.S. Award, recognizing the virtues of Perseverance, Attitude, Selflessness and Success. Cleared both athletically and academically, Battey played his first competitive basketball in more than two years in August 2018, traveling with the USA East Coast Team for a four-game tour of Italy.
High School: A 2017 graduate of Villa Park High School in the Los Angeles area. He was an All-Orange County and All-Crestview League selection as a junior in 2015-16, averaging 24 points a game for the Spartans including a 44-point effort, second-best in a single game in school history. ESPN had him rated as the No. 17 post player in the nation and 11th best player overall in the state of California. Rivals listed him as the 122nd best player in the nation while Scout had him at 132. Battey did not play basketball in 2016-17 as the California high school governing body determined he had exhausted his eight semesters of eligibility. Battey repeated the ninth grade and despite not playing in one of those years, the CIF had determined his eligibility clock had run out. Battey stayed with Villa Park team for the 2016-17 season, serving as a player-coach for the team’s big men and junior varsity. He was part of the Spartans’ team that placed second at the CIF Division III state championships. This spring, Battey was recognized by the Orange County Athletic Directors Association with its Athlete of Character Award. He played his freshman and sophomore seasons at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, earning All-Western League honors both years. Battey averaged 11 points and 11 rebounds as a freshman and 20 points and 14 rebounds as a sophomore, helping the Unicorns to consecutive Division IV titles. Battey played AAU ball with the Dream Vision club program out of Los Angeles.
Academics: Graduated in August 2021 with his bachelor's degree in Journalism and took courses toward a master's of science in Organizational Leadership in 2021-22. He earned honorable mention to the 2018-19 Pac-12 Men's Basketball All-Academic Team. In April 2018, he was recognized at Colorado's annual Student-Athlete Academic Recognition Banquet as one of two winners of the Clancy A. Herbst, Jr., Student-Athlete Achievement Award, given to those who overcome personal, academic and/or emotional challenges or difficulties to succeed both academically and athletically. A seven-time member of the AD's Honor Roll.
Personal: Evan Earl Battey is the son of Earl Jessey Battey III and Rosalind Lewis. He has one older sister, Taylor, a graduate of Oregon State. His grandfather, Earl Battey, was a four-time Major League Baseball All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner at catcher for the Minnesota Twins during his 13-year career where he also played for the Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators. He is also related to Ed Sanders, heavyweight boxer who won a Gold Medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Battey selected Colorado because it was the best fit for him and he loved the coaches and team.
