DENTON, Texas — In college basketball, it's common for schools to have practice players – especially at the Division I level.
Practice players are not on the roster. They do not play on gamedays. Their role is to help teams run drills or simulate game scenarios in practice.
"They’re not getting paid," said Jason Burton, head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of North Texas. “They’re getting some gear and some food.”
There is no glamor or glory to the volunteer position. However, there is a purpose – making a positive difference in the lives of others.
"That’s where we are today because of them," asserted DesiRay Kernal, the Mean Green's leading scorer and rebounder.
The UNT women's basketball team broke program records in 2023-2024. It's a testament to the players and coaching staff, along with those behind the scenes.
After all, one of the key contributors to the team's turnaround – did not play one minute for the Mean Green.
The one they call: E-Man.
Evan's impact on the court
Evan Moore grew up in Cedar Hill. He was the only child raised by his mother, Tamara Smith.
"It’s always been just me and him against the world," Smith explained. "He’s my baby.”
Evan picked up a basketball at age five and never put it down. He became a standout at R.W. Goines STEM Academy in Arlington, Texas but put his dream of playing college hoops on hold.
Evan enrolled at UNT in the summer of 2023, along with his childhood best friend Byron "Deuce" Dean.
"I've known Evan since I was like seven or eight," Dean said. "We were like A and B."
Evan and Deuce grew up playing basketball together. Their passion for the game carried into college. They latched on as practice players -- for the women's basketball team.
"He loved it," Smith raved.
Capturing the attention of players and coaches, Evan’s impact was felt instantly.
"I said, 'Who is this? He looks kind of cold,'" recalled UNT senior Shamaryah Duncan. "Then we started practicing and I was like, ‘He cold. Yeah, he cold.’ He should try out for the [UNT] men’s team, that’s how cold I thought he was.”
Kernal exclaimed, "He stood on business with us. We took some of his moves.”
"His first step, it was deadly," Burton elaborated. "If you weren’t ready, he was going to blow by you. He was going to score. But if we can guard him though, it’s going to make us better,” Burton noted.
Evan's talent and energy brought the best out of the players in practice.
"Always willing to help us, no matter what," Duncan said. "He was a really big part of our family and he helped us get better.”
Unexpected loss
Over Christmas break, Evan returned home to spend time with his mom in Cedar Hill.
On the afternoon of December 26, 2023, he went for a ride with a friend. Riding in the passenger seat, Evan quickly responded to his mom's text messages. But when he stopped replying, Tamara sensed something was wrong.
"Something felt really bad to me," Smith explained. “I located him on his phone and the location had stopped.”
The location was by U.S. 67 and Cockrell Hill Road in Duncanville.
Evan's mom drove to the location. Traffic was stopped. Duncanville police were at the scene.
There had been a car crash.
"And then I saw the car that [Evan] was in, apparently it had flipped over," Smith detailed. "It was on its side. And I saw the guy [Evan] was with. I didn’t see Evan.”
The driver survived. Evan Moore did not. He was 18 years old.
Evan's legacy
The ensuing days, weeks, and months have been a recurring nightmare for Tamara.
"I'm just waiting to wake up, but I'm not waking up from the nightmare" she lamented. "I can't wake up. I feel like I'm not allowed to wake up."
According to Tamara, distractions do not aid her grieving process.
"The one thing that helps me the most is carrying on where he left off," she said.
Off the court, Evan started leading a Bible study. As he told his mother in the fall, he found himself drawing closer to God.
Since Evan's death, Tamara has picked up the Bible study where her son left off.
"I go sit at his gravesite every day. I talk to him. First and foremost, I always tell him that I love him.”
The UNT women's basketball team was present at Evan's memorial. In the wake of his death, every player and coach wrote Tamara a personal, handwritten letter.
"Everybody associated with our program has written a letter to his mom so that she receives a letter every week from us," Burton said.
The team rallied around Tamara, in Evan's memory.
"Being his mother, of course, I'm going to be partial and think the best of my son," Smith noted. "But when other people are saying the exact same things, it makes me so proud.
Tributes to Evan could be heard breaking the huddle and seen on the whiteboard in the locker room. They could also be found on UNT-branded shirts with "EMAN" on the back, along with wristbands displaying the hashtag: #LiveLikeEvan.
"Even when it gets quiet, they’re still there," she nodded. “They’re family.”
Perhaps the greatest tribute of all was how the Mean Green honored Evan on the court.
"With how we play," Burton smiled. "That's what he did. Play hard, have fun and win some games.”
The Mean Green were picked to finish near the bottom of the American Athletic Conference this season. Instead, they won their first regular season conference title since 1986.
"I know he’s proud of us," Duncan acknowledged. "We always play for him. From now on and forever.”
The team Evan Moore helped get better in practice went on to win 23 games – the most in UNT women’s basketball history.
"If he saw someone fall, he would stop to help them," Dean said of his late friend. "He was really a light to the world."
Burton added, "And I think that’s what life is about. The impact that you have while you’re here.”
To make a positive difference in the lives of others.
To serve a greater good.
To Live Like Evan.
