North Carolina State University Athletics
Catching Up with Ilian Evtimov
8/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RALEIGH, N.C. It sure does not seem like three years since Wolfpack fans were watching Ilian Evtimov on the basketball court donned in the Red & White. Either draining clutch three-pointers or driving the lane with an old fashioned European sky-hook, Evtimov had one of the most productive careers at NC State, in doing so helping the Pack to the NCAA Tournament every season he played.
During his Wolfpack career, Evtimov played the sixth most minutes in school history (3,626) while appearing in 131 games and making 83 starts. He became the 34th player to score over 1,000 career points, and finished his playing days with 1,214 points. His 199 career three-pointers made rank fourth in the school record books, and are the most ever for a non-guard.
All those numbers are not bad for a player that almost did not even make it to NC State. A native of Bulgaria, Evtimov spent most of his life living in France before moving to the United States. He played his prep ball at Bishop McGuiness in Winston-Salem, N.C., and was all set to commit to Davidson before the Wolfpack came with an offer late in the spring signing period. With an older brother that played at North Carolina, Evtimov knew a chance to play at NC State was too good to pass up, and the rest as they say is history.
Evtimov is now playing professional basketball in Germany, and spent time in Raleigh this summer finishing up his master’s degree. He recently stopped by to chat with GoPack.com about how life has been since his NC State playing days.
GoPack: What have you been doing in Raleigh this summer?
Evtimov: I’ve been finishing up with grad school, I only had two classes left plus a final presentation this summer. I’m working on a master’s in sports management to go with the communications degree I got earlier. I was able to do grad school during my redshirt senior season, and just over the last two summers I’ve been lucky enough to come back and finish up the course work for the master’s degree.
GoPack: What was your motivation for getting a master’s degree?
Evtimov: I have to say, my last year here was the hardest year of studying I had, when I was in grad school my senior season. I put in so much work that year, it just made sense to follow up and finish. Secondly, you never know what is going to happen playing basketball and even after, so it’s just an insurance policy for what is in store for me after my playing days are over.
GoPack: Injuries are never a good thing, but if you didn’t miss the 2002-03 season with an ACL injury you would not have had one year of grad school during your career here.
Evtimov: You have to get something positive out of every situation, and looking back now I really see my master’s degree as the benefit to me missing that one season. The best thing I took from it was the chance to start grad school, and now to finish it.
GoPack: What do you see yourself doing once your done playing professionally?
Evtimov: I’ve always had an interest in becoming a sports agent and doing something in sports marketing especially since my undergrad was in communications, but more and more, I really see myself getting into coaching. I would love to move back to Raleigh, and get involved in the community especially with kids. I consider Raleigh as my home now, and I see myself moving back here after my basketball days are over.
GoPack: Once you left NC State, what were your stops in Europe?
Evtimov: Right after my senior season ended here, I got an offer from a team in Spain so I went there for the playoffs that season. I didn’t get a chance to play however. They brought me in because their one forward was having injury trouble, but he stayed healthy enough and played the entire playoffs. It was a good experience for me though just to see how European basketball is played.
Then following that I signed with VidiVici Bologna in Italy. That was the team I was on with Kris Lang from UNC who played with my brother so I knew him pretty well beforehand. Overall it was another great experience especially because of the talent level in Italy, but I just didn’t get that much of an opportunity to play. I was one of the first guys to sign, but then they signed a lot of big names for big money, and I just had to sit back and learn and play whenever given the chance. Some games I wouldn’t play at all so that was frustrating, so I just had to take the time and continue to improve myself working a lot more at the No. 3 position than when I was at NC State. It was a hard adjustment coming from playing all the time here, but I just was patient. I had one more year on my deal with them, but I figured it was best for me to find an opportunity somewhere else.
Then my agent found the team in Germany I’m currently on, Frankfurt. I had a very good first season with them this past year, where I was starting and playing about 30 minutes a game. We made it to the semifinals in the playoffs, but lost on a buzzer beater to end the season at home. We were really close to making the finals, and for me it was just a really good experience. I have two more years left on my contract in Frankfurt right now, and after that I’m just not sure what will happen.
GoPack: Once you’re done in Raleigh this summer, what is your schedule like heading into the new season.
Evtimov: I’m actually going to be about a week late to the start of camp, because I told Frankfurt that I wanted to stay here and finish up grad school. In addition, they have some guys who are playing with their national teams, so not everybody is there yet. The first game is September 21 and our season goes all the way to May.
GoPack: It sounds like you are really happy in Germany right now.
Evtimov: Yeah the first couple of stops were difficult, but my brother helped me through it since he has already been through that circuit. This past year was just a great opportunity to get back into the playing mode, and really start my professional career.
GoPack: Have you ever gone up against any former Wolfpackers:
Evtimov: I didn’t get to play against any NC State guys this past year, however it is a small world and I have played against Shamond Williams (UNC), Kyle Visser (Wake Forest), and few other guys from around here. It’s always good to see faces that you know. All the guys I’ve played with here at NC State, I always know where they are and am always interested into how they are doing. Basketball is a big business that stretches world wide, but everybody ends up seeing each other.
GoPack: What kind of sense of family is there among former NC State players?
Evtimov: The last two or three years, a lot more former players have been coming back to Raleigh and around to NC State. I always think it is good cause we talk about how our seasons went, and then it just feels like the old days where we are back in college. We will come back and play pick-up, and often times it is against guys on the current team. Just this summer around here I’ve seen Marcus (Melvin), Josh (Powell), Anthony (Grundy), Jordan (Collins), Scooter (Sherrill), Clifford (Crawford), Tony (Bethel) and I just think it’s good how we all come back each summer.
GoPack: What do you think about the direction of the NC State program?
Evtimov: I followed some of the games this year, and they started off really well, but just had a rough end to the year. Those kind of things happen. But being around this summer, and talking to a lot of the guys that will be back this upcoming season, I see how hard they are working and how much work they are putting into it before the season even starts. There is so much competition in the ACC, but I don’t feel that they were too far off of being one of those really good teams. I think next year with a new start, could lead to a lot of wins.
GoPack: When you were a senior, that was the year Brandon Costner, Courtney Fells and Ben McCauley were all freshmen. How is it for you now to see these guys as the leaders of the team?
Evtimov: I was staying with Ben this past summer when I was finishing up school. We spent a lot of time talking about the old times when I was a senior and he was a freshman. I remember back on those times telling all three of those guys to be patient and their time will come, and now they are the seniors on this squad helping out the younger guys. It is good to see that they take the time and help out the new guys, just playing pick-up and being around those three you can really tell how good they are at leading this team.
GoPack: What do you miss most about playing at NC State?
Evtimov: There is nothing like the college atmosphere, I don’t care if you go to Europe or even to the NBA. There is nothing better than representing your school, and hearing how much those fans are behind you. I think the ACC has the best college coverage you can get, with so many games on TV to almost 20,000 fans filling the stands. There is nothing better than being in that environment.
During his Wolfpack career, Evtimov played the sixth most minutes in school history (3,626) while appearing in 131 games and making 83 starts. He became the 34th player to score over 1,000 career points, and finished his playing days with 1,214 points. His 199 career three-pointers made rank fourth in the school record books, and are the most ever for a non-guard.
All those numbers are not bad for a player that almost did not even make it to NC State. A native of Bulgaria, Evtimov spent most of his life living in France before moving to the United States. He played his prep ball at Bishop McGuiness in Winston-Salem, N.C., and was all set to commit to Davidson before the Wolfpack came with an offer late in the spring signing period. With an older brother that played at North Carolina, Evtimov knew a chance to play at NC State was too good to pass up, and the rest as they say is history.
Evtimov is now playing professional basketball in Germany, and spent time in Raleigh this summer finishing up his master’s degree. He recently stopped by to chat with GoPack.com about how life has been since his NC State playing days.
GoPack: What have you been doing in Raleigh this summer?
Evtimov: I’ve been finishing up with grad school, I only had two classes left plus a final presentation this summer. I’m working on a master’s in sports management to go with the communications degree I got earlier. I was able to do grad school during my redshirt senior season, and just over the last two summers I’ve been lucky enough to come back and finish up the course work for the master’s degree.
GoPack: What was your motivation for getting a master’s degree?
Evtimov: I have to say, my last year here was the hardest year of studying I had, when I was in grad school my senior season. I put in so much work that year, it just made sense to follow up and finish. Secondly, you never know what is going to happen playing basketball and even after, so it’s just an insurance policy for what is in store for me after my playing days are over.
GoPack: Injuries are never a good thing, but if you didn’t miss the 2002-03 season with an ACL injury you would not have had one year of grad school during your career here.
Evtimov: You have to get something positive out of every situation, and looking back now I really see my master’s degree as the benefit to me missing that one season. The best thing I took from it was the chance to start grad school, and now to finish it.
GoPack: What do you see yourself doing once your done playing professionally?
Evtimov: I’ve always had an interest in becoming a sports agent and doing something in sports marketing especially since my undergrad was in communications, but more and more, I really see myself getting into coaching. I would love to move back to Raleigh, and get involved in the community especially with kids. I consider Raleigh as my home now, and I see myself moving back here after my basketball days are over.
GoPack: Once you left NC State, what were your stops in Europe?
Evtimov: Right after my senior season ended here, I got an offer from a team in Spain so I went there for the playoffs that season. I didn’t get a chance to play however. They brought me in because their one forward was having injury trouble, but he stayed healthy enough and played the entire playoffs. It was a good experience for me though just to see how European basketball is played.
Then following that I signed with VidiVici Bologna in Italy. That was the team I was on with Kris Lang from UNC who played with my brother so I knew him pretty well beforehand. Overall it was another great experience especially because of the talent level in Italy, but I just didn’t get that much of an opportunity to play. I was one of the first guys to sign, but then they signed a lot of big names for big money, and I just had to sit back and learn and play whenever given the chance. Some games I wouldn’t play at all so that was frustrating, so I just had to take the time and continue to improve myself working a lot more at the No. 3 position than when I was at NC State. It was a hard adjustment coming from playing all the time here, but I just was patient. I had one more year on my deal with them, but I figured it was best for me to find an opportunity somewhere else.
Then my agent found the team in Germany I’m currently on, Frankfurt. I had a very good first season with them this past year, where I was starting and playing about 30 minutes a game. We made it to the semifinals in the playoffs, but lost on a buzzer beater to end the season at home. We were really close to making the finals, and for me it was just a really good experience. I have two more years left on my contract in Frankfurt right now, and after that I’m just not sure what will happen.
GoPack: Once you’re done in Raleigh this summer, what is your schedule like heading into the new season.
Evtimov: I’m actually going to be about a week late to the start of camp, because I told Frankfurt that I wanted to stay here and finish up grad school. In addition, they have some guys who are playing with their national teams, so not everybody is there yet. The first game is September 21 and our season goes all the way to May.
GoPack: It sounds like you are really happy in Germany right now.
Evtimov: Yeah the first couple of stops were difficult, but my brother helped me through it since he has already been through that circuit. This past year was just a great opportunity to get back into the playing mode, and really start my professional career.
GoPack: Have you ever gone up against any former Wolfpackers:
Evtimov: I didn’t get to play against any NC State guys this past year, however it is a small world and I have played against Shamond Williams (UNC), Kyle Visser (Wake Forest), and few other guys from around here. It’s always good to see faces that you know. All the guys I’ve played with here at NC State, I always know where they are and am always interested into how they are doing. Basketball is a big business that stretches world wide, but everybody ends up seeing each other.
GoPack: What kind of sense of family is there among former NC State players?
Evtimov: The last two or three years, a lot more former players have been coming back to Raleigh and around to NC State. I always think it is good cause we talk about how our seasons went, and then it just feels like the old days where we are back in college. We will come back and play pick-up, and often times it is against guys on the current team. Just this summer around here I’ve seen Marcus (Melvin), Josh (Powell), Anthony (Grundy), Jordan (Collins), Scooter (Sherrill), Clifford (Crawford), Tony (Bethel) and I just think it’s good how we all come back each summer.
GoPack: What do you think about the direction of the NC State program?
Evtimov: I followed some of the games this year, and they started off really well, but just had a rough end to the year. Those kind of things happen. But being around this summer, and talking to a lot of the guys that will be back this upcoming season, I see how hard they are working and how much work they are putting into it before the season even starts. There is so much competition in the ACC, but I don’t feel that they were too far off of being one of those really good teams. I think next year with a new start, could lead to a lot of wins.
GoPack: When you were a senior, that was the year Brandon Costner, Courtney Fells and Ben McCauley were all freshmen. How is it for you now to see these guys as the leaders of the team?
Evtimov: I was staying with Ben this past summer when I was finishing up school. We spent a lot of time talking about the old times when I was a senior and he was a freshman. I remember back on those times telling all three of those guys to be patient and their time will come, and now they are the seniors on this squad helping out the younger guys. It is good to see that they take the time and help out the new guys, just playing pick-up and being around those three you can really tell how good they are at leading this team.
GoPack: What do you miss most about playing at NC State?
Evtimov: There is nothing like the college atmosphere, I don’t care if you go to Europe or even to the NBA. There is nothing better than representing your school, and hearing how much those fans are behind you. I think the ACC has the best college coverage you can get, with so many games on TV to almost 20,000 fans filling the stands. There is nothing better than being in that environment.
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