Throughout the inordinate level of turbulence experienced by Evan Battey in a basketball career that already feels weathered beyond its years, his positive energy and an unflappable demeanor have been as impenetrable as the hulking shoulders sitting atop his sturdy 6-foot-8 frame.
When family drama and the immaturity typical of a young teenager conspired to convince his mother he needed a change of scenery when forced to repeat ninth grade, Battey gamely accepted the challenge and developed, on and off the floor, into one of the top prep post players in southern California.
When that repeating of ninth grade eventually cost him his eligibility as a senior in high school and again as a freshman at the University of Colorado, Battey shook off the respective setbacks, winning a prestigious character award for his off-court role as a senior in high school and dedicating himself to improving his conditioning for the Buffs when the NCAA sat him down for the 2017-18 season.
Making the best of a bad situation always has been a focal point of Battey’s world view. So in late December, when a groggy Battey turned to his half-paralyzed face to his mother and tearfully lamented, “Why is this happening to me?” Rosalind Lewis knew her son was in trouble.
“I think I’ve heard him say that one other time in his life, and that was when he was first denied to play his senior year,” said Lewis. “There is really no good answer for anything bad that happens to us. My comment to him was there will never be a satisfactory answer for why anything happens to us. The only thing you can say at that point is, ‘What now? What do I do now?'”
Evan Battey, in the best shape of his life, had just suffered a stroke. In response, Battey did what he always has done. He dedicated himself to traversing the long road to once again get back on the floor.
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