Former Kent State forward Chris Evans signed a contract last week to begin his professional playing career in Italy with the Liomatic Group Bari Basketball team.

Liomatic competes in the Legadue Silver division, the second-highest professional basketball division in Italy. The team’s season is scheduled to begin in early October.

Rob Senderoff, Kent State head basketball coach, said he was pleased to hear that Evans had received an offer to continue playing past college.

“It sounds like a great opportunity for him, and I am very happy that he has a chance to play professional basketball,” Senderoff said.

Evans was a major part of the Senderoff’s offensive attack for the Flashes last season, during which the team finished with a record of 21-14 and made trips to the Mid-American Conference Tournament and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 16.2 points and 7.7 rebounds to lead the team in both categories.

After playing collegiate basketball at Coastal Carolina for one season, Evans transferred to Kent State in 2010 and played his last two seasons with the Flashes. Evans improved in nearly every statistical category between his junior and senior seasons and was named to the All-MAC First Team following last season.

Prior to signing with Liomatic, Evans accepted an invitation to play in the Las Vegas Summer League with the Sacramento Kings of the NBA in July. Evans made the Kings’ summer league roster but did not play in any of the team’s five games.

Tim Dorst is the sports editor for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].