April 29, 2010

Sacramento Kings rookie and former Memphis All-American Tyreke Evans has been named the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year as announced by the league on Thursday.

Averaging 20.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 5.8 apg in his inaugural season in the NBA, Evans is the second straight Calipari-coached player that has received the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls was named the league’s Rookie of the Year in the 2009 season.

It marks the first time since 1978 and 1979 that a collegiate coach has had players named back-to-back NBA Rookies of the Year. Walter Davis (1978) and Phil Ford (1979), both four-year players, were coached by Dean Smith at North Carolina. No one has ever coached three straight NBA Rookies of the Year.