'No-nonsense' referee Hugh Evans gets his due in Springfield

Hugh Evans always believed that his role was to command respect, not affection. As time passed, he became so adept at earning respect that he couldn’t help but sense a significant amount of affection as well.

Evans, who becomes the 17th referee enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend and just the seventh for his work in the NBA, focused so heavily on the integrity of his role as a game official, he stunted some of the relationships he might have had with players and coaches.

The native of Squire, W.Va., considered it crucial to maintain a certain distance from the participants to eliminate any chance or hint of being influenced by friendship. Despite his efforts, he managed to accumulate many work friends.

“Even amongst coaches and various acquaintances, Hugh Evans had this aura of ‘I am here to perform a task and I am aware that I am not meant to be the main focus’,” said Bob Delaney, a former NBA official, “He would stroll to the center of the floor.”

Longtime referee Joey Crawford stated, “Players and coaches genuinely liked him because he had a good demeanor. He was completely different from me, which I suppose is why they were fond of him.”

His integrity, knowledge of the game, and professionalism as a referee were all top-tier. He was always prepared and ready to execute his duties. His excellent preparation was evident, and I was confident that he would always give his best each time he stepped on the court.

— Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, on Hugh Evans’ officiating career

Evans, who passed away at 81 in July due to congestive heart failure, will be officially enshrined on Saturday night. His presenters are set to be Reggie Miller and George Gervin. It’s fair to assume that their relationships with Evans developed more after his retirement than during his active career from 1973-2001.

“Evans’ widow, Cathy, informed NBA.com last week that he preferred maintaining professionalism. However, with the players he esteemed, he developed a certain rapport,” she added.

Anyone who knows a little about Lenny Wilkens, that rare Hall member elected both as a player (1989) and a coach (1998), can guess that Wilkens appreciated Evans’ dignity and professionalism. Coincidentally, Evans — an excellent athlete from North Carolina A&T — had been selected as the 79th pick in the 1963 Draft by the St. Louis Hawks, the team for which Wilkens starred. Evans never made the roster, though.

Wilkens stated, “I wasn’t acquainted with him as a player. However, in his capacity as a referee, his integrity, understanding of the game, and professionalism were all first-rate. He was consistently prepared to perform his duties. His readiness was exceptional. I was confident that whenever he took to the floor, he would give his all.”

Discussing top officials in the NBA, he is certainly among them. He was a straightforward man. We were confident that he would judge the game impartially and call it as he observed it. It was truly a privilege to have known him.

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A unique NBA officiating journey

Evans has the distinction of being the first African-American referee among the 17 in the Hall, a feat that fills his family and friends with pride. He was nominated by Delaney, who shared, “I was introduced to Hugh Evans in 1985 and would often hear people refer to him as ‘the best Black NBA referee.’ I never quite understood the need to include ‘Black’ in that description – he was simply one of the most exceptional NBA referees of all time, a sentiment echoed by the Naismith Hall.”

Evans worked 1,969 regular season games, 170 playoff games, 35 NBA Finals games, and four All-Star Games over the span of 28 NBA seasons. However, his journey to the league was equally remarkable as his achievements upon arrival. Evans bypassed officiating at the high school and college level, going straight to the professional league.

Evans, a robust 6-foot-4 man, chose to pursue a career in baseball after leaving North Carolina A&T. He spent three seasons playing in the San Francisco Giants’ minor league system. Later, he relocated to New York, where he took up the position of director at a community center in Brooklyn. Here, he refereed some recreational league games and eventually began officiating in the renowned Rucker League. This league was a popular summer spot for some of basketball’s most legendary players to maintain their fitness.

He paid $100 to join an officials’ camp, where he initially failed the first exam but succeeded a couple of weeks later. He also attracted the attention of a camp instructor.

Evans later reminisced, “He told me that going to college games would be a waste of time as I already had the necessary skills to succeed in the professional league.”

In 1972, Evans, who was 31 at the time, was contracted on a part-time basis and then made a full-time addition the subsequent year. Despite the challenge, he found it beneficial that renowned stars like Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Walt Frazier, and others recognized him from his work at Rucker Park in Harlem.

Evans was a trailblazer as one of the NBA’s initial Black referees, with only Ken Hudson (1968-72) and a handful of others before him. As expected, he encountered a type of taunting that most of his peers didn’t experience.

“Cathy Evans reminisced, “Keep in mind, this was during the ’70s and ’80s. I remember attending a game in Houston where a fan was continuously ranting. However, Hugh never engaged in arguments with fans. He preferred to simply call security.”

I recall contemplating, ‘He’s about to be escorted out and he’s completely unaware.’ This realization came to me when I noticed Hugh approaching the table, followed by the table guy heading to security. Before I knew it, they were ushering the young man away.

“He lacked time and didn’t wish to detract from the game. That’s the purpose of security – you allow them to perform their role.”

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Evans ‘only cared about the game’

In contrast to how he distanced himself from players and coaches, Evans was quite different with his colleagues. He readily made himself available as a resource and mentor, always eager to share his on-the-fly knowledge about the game.

“His demeanor was incredibly reassuring, especially to a younger referee,” said Delaney. “When you enter an arena as an unknown, you yearn to establish your credibility. He provided you with that kind of confidence.

“He possessed impressive leadership qualities, yet he was not the type of person who would dictate ‘do this’ or ‘do that.’ Instead, he demonstrated the appropriate actions. He motivated you throughout the process, employing an effective teaching method to emphasize his points.”

Crawford added, “Some of the older guys were control freaks and it was difficult to learn from them. However, Hugh was completely different. He’d simply say, ‘Do it.’ He had no issues with you stepping up to handle the clock at the scorers’ table or speaking to the coaches if something occurred on the floor.”

Back in the day, there wasn’t a Las Vegas Summer League or other venues to learn how to referee. You had to learn while doing the job. Some veteran referees would harshly criticize you in the locker room if you didn’t referee like them. However, Hubert was more relaxed and only focused on the game.

“Duke, or Mike Callahan as he’s also known, who is my best friend, always said, ‘I prefer working with Hugh over you’ when he first started.”

Evans, after resigning as a game official in 2001, served as an NBA assistant supervisor of officials for two seasons. Despite being retired, he remained committed to contributing to the game.

“Cathy Evans described instances, ‘when I used to travel with him, he would often skip dinner to allow the young referees to watch games. He would inform us, ‘I’m heading over to so-and-so’s room to analyze this video.’

“Even after he retired, the guys continued to call. They’d say, ‘I’m covering an ESPN game tonight. Could you watch the game and send me some notes if you have time?'”

Much of Evans’ career was spent living in Richmond, Virginia before relocating to Florida, and subsequently, Atlanta. He was a skilled golfer and often played with the late Sam Jones, a Hall of Famer from the Boston Celtics, and Luis Grillo, a former NBA referee.

In April, Evans, despite his deteriorating health, along with his wife Cathy and Delaney, who was essentially the driving force behind his wheelchair, made a trip to the men’s NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. This trip was for the announcement of Evans’ induction into the referee’s Hall of Fame. The warm reception he received that weekend from former NBA players, coaches, referees, and even fans who paused to greet him, compensated for what he was going to miss in Springfield the following weekend.

If you didn’t officiate in a way that some older referees approved of, they would severely criticize you in the locker room. However, Hubert was subtle and only concerned with the game.

— Joey Crawford, on Hugh Evans

“Delaney said, ‘I believe Hugh somewhat understood that he was faltering. That’s why it was crucial for him to attend the Final Four event. He was aware that he would receive recognition there.'”

Nobody truly desires to receive an award or recognition after their death. Luckily for Evans, the warmth he experienced at the Superdome, and in the following three months before his demise, demonstrated to him, his wife Cathy, and their sons Aaron and Todd, the immense joy the basketball community felt for him.

“Cathy informed that he received an email from Russ Granik, the ex-NBA deputy commissioner,” Cathy shared. “He also received phone calls from Matt Winick, a veteran league executive who managed the referees’ scheduling for many years. He was bombarded with numerous calls and text messages. Even Doc Rivers, the coach of Philadelphia, texted him saying that he and some other coaches had a discussion about Hugh for more than an hour.”

“I’m simply glad that he was aware he was going in.”

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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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