There’s been a connection for the duo of IUPUI guard Cam Justice and forward Evan Hall that they called a brotherhood. The two have plenty of history and look to continue excelling off of each other as they’ve been on the same team for over five years.
Both of them grew up in the same town and played at the same high school, Knott County Central. The two of them knew there was something special brewing and the opportunities were there for them.
“We both had such a special connection in high school,” Hall said. “We clicked so much in High School and he was like a brother to me. We had about two, three years where we did not play with each other but it did not feel like we missed a beat out there.”
Justice felt the same way and said ever since he and Hall put those jerseys on together, it felt good and it had him excited to get back out on the floor.
“This season was a long year, I am grateful to be on the floor with my buddy (Evan Hall) and my teammates… I think I can make some big plays for this team.”
Photo by Justin Casterline via IUPUI Athletics
Thursday night, the two were both on the Red team for IUPUI's Red-White scrimmage. This was their first action together on the court since High School, and both were looking to improve their chemistry on the court and fix some mistakes that they had during the scrimmage.
“I thought I had a couple of lapses tonight,” Justice said. “And games are coming soon so I need to lock that down.”
Evan Hall looked like a freight train coming into the paint tonight, but he was more than pleased with what he saw out of the scrimmage.
“I think if we can cut our turnovers to around ten,” Hall said. “Then I think we can be a good ball club.”
IUPUI head coach Jason Gardner had high praise for what Justice and Hall can be on the court together.
“Evan has been with me for four years and Cam has sat with me for a year now and now he will be playing with me for another year,” Gardner said. “We are looking at another three year-four year kid in Cam (Justice) and when you can have third and fourth year kids then it gives us experience.”
IUPUI has eight transfers on the roster this season, including Cam Justice who transferred in from Vanderbilt this past season. He was a four-star recruit who won the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015.
Justice left Vanderbilt after an injury and a coaching change. Vanderbilt fired Kevin Stallings and hired Bryce Drew in 2017 to be their head coach. The opportunity may not have been there for him to succeed at Vanderbilt as much as IUPUI. He hopes he can become a focal point of this team.
The experience of Evan Hall will be a crucial ingredient for this IUPUI team as they are looking to rebound from the losses of Ron Patterson and Aaron Brennan, who both graduated. Hall has had some solid numbers so far in his career at IUPUI as he has averaged seven points per game, while grabbing about five rebounds a game.
The numbers for Evan Hall look to be solid as he led the team in blocks with 25, grabbed six rebounds, and finished the year with three double-doubles. Hall hopes to build on what looked like a solid campaign for him last year.
IUPUI will open its season on Oct. 29 against Central State at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum followed by a tough road test at Xavier on Nov. 6.
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