MANITOWOC — More than a decade ago, Shane Evans faced a crossroads.
Evans had just graduated from now-closed Silver Lake University in 2011 after spending four years as a student-athlete on the basketball team.
The Milwaukee native considered leaving Manitowoc to pursue a law degree, but something felt right about his adopted home.
“I chose a different path,” Evans said. “I had a lot of friends in the area who were like family.”
Evans eventually became a special education teacher and then spent five years as an assistant boys basketball coach at Manitowoc-Lincoln. He was just recently named the Ships' new head coach.
“I’m excited,” Evans said. “This opportunity was too good to be true. I always wanted to coach in some capacity, but it wasn't until I started coaching that I realized I wanted to be a head coach.”
Lincoln needed a new coach after coach Thad Cornell resigned after seven seasons to spend more time with his ailing parents.
Evans said that having worked for Cornell University and being familiar with the program and community likely helped in his candidacy.
“A lot of other coaches applied, some big dogs,” Evans said. “I already have great relationships with the players and families. I was one of the coaches (in the program) that worked a lot with the other coaches.”
Another feather in his cap, Evans said, is his determination to look beyond the basketball court.
“A lot of times people focus on the X's and O's, but there's a responsibility on a personal level to help players grow as people, even more than basketball players,” Evans said.
Evans has a mantra he uses in the on-court classroom and applies it to his daily life.
“It's energy, effort and excellence,” Evans said.
He is adopting this philosophy to continue the work Cornell has done and help Manitowoc-Lincoln take the next step.
Shipps is 12-13 overall on the season, including 9-9 at FRCC.
Ships that appear in history books:Fifty years ago, the Manitowoc Lincoln Ships entered WIAA basketball history
Evans will return two second-team all-conference players next season in juniors Braden Steinbecker and Edward Borchen.
“A lot of it will be building on what we have,” Evans said. “We've been .500 or a little better lately. Cornell has done a great job rebuilding Manitowoc-Lincoln, but we want to win a regional championship and go from there.”
Lincoln has appeared in the WIAA state boys basketball tournament 12 times, winning in 1963 and 1968, but its last appearance was 25 years ago.
Looking back at 1968:Manitowoc Lincoln's 1968 state title was won at camp the previous summer
“We have to restore pride to Lincoln,” Evans said. “The important thing is to restore pride to both the school and the community.”
He says it all starts at the youth level, where he wants to start developing not only players but also coaches.
“When you talk about (Fox River Classic Conference powerhouse) De Pere, you look at the youth level,” Evans said. “You have to be ready to step into the mud and develop good players and coaches. If you develop coaches, you will develop better players.”
Evans intends to put his energy and efforts into helping his players and program achieve excellence.
Tom Dombeck (920-686-2965) ortdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter.@Tom_Dombeck.