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

Hugh Evans always believed that his role was to command respect, not necessarily to be liked. However, as time passed, he became so proficient at gaining respect that he inevitably felt he was also liked quite a bit.

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., deemed it critically important to maintain a professional distance from participants, in order to eliminate any chance or even the hint of compromise due to personal bonds. Despite his efforts, he still managed to create numerous work-based friendships.

“Even amid coaches and various acquaintances, Hugh Evans had this presence about him. He’d stride to the center of the floor with the unmistakable air of a person on a mission, aware that his role was not to be the focus of attention,” said Bob Delaney, a former NBA official, about Evans.

Longtime referee Joey Crawford stated, “He was very well-liked by players and coaches due to his pleasant demeanor. He was entirely different from me, which is probably why they liked him.”

“His integrity, knowledge of the game, and professionalism as a referee were all top-tier. He was always prepared and ready to perform his duties. His preparation was impressive. Every time he stepped onto the court, I knew he would give his best.”

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

Evans, who passed away at 81 in July from congestive heart failure, will be officially enshrined on Saturday night. Reggie Miller and George Gervin will be presenting the honor. It’s fair to say that their relationships with Evans developed more after his retirement, rather than during his active career from 1973 to 2001.

“Evans’ widow, Cathy, shared with NBA.com last week that he preferred to maintain a professional approach,” she said. “But for the players he admired, he managed to cultivate a relationship with a few of them.”

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 never experienced his abilities as a player. However, in his role as a referee, his integrity, understanding of the game, and professionalism were all exceptional. He was always prepared and ready to perform his duties. His preparation was superb, and I was confident that he would always give his best whenever he stepped onto the court.”

Discussing the highest-ranking officials in the NBA, he is certainly among them. He was a straightforward person. However, we were always certain that he would conduct the game fairly and make calls as he observed them. It was an honor to have been acquainted with him.

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A unique NBA officiating journey

Evans holds the distinction of being the first African-American referee among the Hall’s 17, a fact that fills his family and friends with pride. Delaney, his nominator, shared his experience of first meeting Hugh Evans in 1985. People often referred to Evans as ‘the best Black NBA referee’. Delaney never understood the need to include ‘Black’ in that description, asserting that Evans was one of the greatest NBA referees of all time, a sentiment that the Naismith Hall echoes.

Evans served in the NBA for 28 seasons, officiating 1,969 regular season games, 170 playoff games, 35 NBA Finals games, and four All-Star Games. However, his entry into the league was as remarkable as his subsequent career – he had never officiated a high school or college game before he leaped straight into the professional realm.

Evans, a robust 6-foot-4 individual, chose baseball after leaving North Carolina A&T. He played for three seasons in the San Francisco Giants’ farm system. Eventually, he relocated to New York and took on the role of director at a community center in Brooklyn. It was here that he refereed some recreational league games and eventually brought his officiating skills to the legendary Rucker League. This league is known for being a summer training ground for some of the greatest players in the game.

He spent $100 on enrollment for an officials’ camp. A few weeks later, despite failing his first test, he managed to pass. He also attracted the attention of a camp instructor.

Evans remembered years afterwards, “He told me that college games would be a waste of my time as I already possessed the skills needed to succeed in the pros.”

In 1972, Evans, who was 31 at the time, was secured on a part-time contract, before being promoted to a full-time role the following year. Despite the challenge, he found it beneficial that stars like Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Walt Frazier, and others recognized him from his work at Rucker Park in Harlem.

Evans was among the pioneering Black referees in the NBA, with only Ken Hudson (1968-72) and a handful of others preceding him. As expected, he encountered a level of heckling that most of his peers did not experience.

“Cathy Evans reminded, “You must recall, those were the times of the ’70s and ’80s. I remember attending a game in Houston where a fan kept going on endlessly. Hugh was not the type to engage in a back-and-forth with a fan. He would simply summon security.”

I recall contemplating, ‘He’s about to exit and he’s not even aware of it.’ I had witnessed Hugh approaching the table followed by the man at the table heading towards security. Before we knew it, the young man was being escorted out.

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

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Evans ‘only cared about the game’

Contrary to how he distanced himself from players and coaches, Evans was quite the opposite with his coworkers. He was always ready to serve as a resource and mentor, keen to impart the knowledge he had garnered about the game on the fly.

“His demeanor was incredibly reassuring for a young referee,” said Delaney. “When you enter an arena where no one recognizes you, you feel the need to establish your credibility. He provided the kind of strength needed for that.”

“He possessed remarkable leadership qualities, yet he was not the type who would constantly order ‘do this’ or ‘do that.’ Instead, he exemplified the right actions and motivated others in that direction. He had an effective teaching style that was not only compelling but also educational.”

Crawford added, “There were some older individuals who were overly controlling, which made learning difficult. However, Hugh was completely different. He would simply say, ‘Go ahead.’ If an incident occurred on the floor, he had no issues with you approaching the scorers’ table, managing the clock, or conversing with the coaches.”

Back then, there wasn’t a Las Vegas Summer League or numerous venues for learning how to referee. You had to pick up the skill while on the job. Older referees could be tough, berating you in the locker room if your style didn’t match theirs. Hubert, however, was unassuming and solely focused on the game.

“Duke, or Mike Callahan as he’s also known – we’re best friends – would always tell me, ‘I prefer working with Hugh more than you.'”

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

“Cathy Evans recalled, “Sometimes, when we were traveling together, he would skip his dinner so that the young referees could watch certain games. He would then tell me, ‘I’m heading to so-and-so’s room to analyze this tape.'”

Even after he retired, the guys would still call him. They’d ask, ‘I’m covering an ESPN game tonight. Could you watch it and send me some notes if you have time?’

Much of Evans’ career was spent living in Richmond, Va., before he relocated to Florida and later Atlanta. He was a skilled golfer and often played with Sam Jones, a Hall of Famer from the Boston Celtics who passed away the previous December, and Luis Grillo, a former NBA referee.

In April, Evans, despite his deteriorating health, his wife Cathy, and Delaney, who acted as the driving force behind Evans’ wheelchair, attended the men’s NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. They were present for the announcement of Evans’ induction into the referee’s Hall. The warm reception he received that weekend, which included congratulations from former NBA players, coaches, referees, and even fans, compensated for what he would miss this weekend in Springfield.

If you didn’t officiate in a way that some older referees approved of, they would harshly criticize you in the locker room. However, Hubert was more laid-back and only focused on the game itself.

— Joey Crawford, on Hugh Evans

“Delaney expressed that Hugh somewhat recognized his failing condition, which made attending the Final Four event crucial. He understood the recognition he would receive there,” she stated.

Nobody truly desires posthumous awards or recognition. Thankfully for Evans, the affection he experienced at the Superdome and during the three months before his death demonstrated to him, his wife Cathy, and his sons Aaron and Todd, the extent of the basketball world’s joy for him.

“Cathy stated, ‘He received an email from Russ Granik, the former NBA deputy commissioner. He also received phone calls from Matt Winick, a longtime league executive who used to handle the referees’ scheduling for many years. He was inundated with numerous calls and text messages. In fact, Doc Rivers, the Philadelphia coach, texted to say that he along with some other coaches discussed Hugh for over an hour.'”

“I’m simply glad he was aware he was heading 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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