In the end, the right fit won out over the chance to finish his career closer to his hometown of Seattle.
Either way, [former Kansas guard Sam Cunliffe][1] on Tuesday announced via Twitter that he was headed to Evansville, where he will sit out the 2018-19 season and have two years of eligibility remaining following his redshirt season.
“Thank you Jesus for this opportunity,” Cunliffe Tweeted above a photoshopped image of his back in an Evansville jersey with the Purple Aces’ logo at the top of the image as the centerpiece in the phrase, “Be A Legend.”
Cunliffe, who visited Xavier over the weekend and also considered Grand Canyon, Pepperdine, Washington, Fresno State, Minnesota and others, told the Journal-World over the weekend that “this Evansville thing is a lot better than some might think.”
Led by former Kentucky great Walter McCarty, who enjoyed a 10-year NBA career — most of it coming with the Boston Celtics — Evansville is coming off of a 17-15 season that ended with a loss to Northern Iowa in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference postseason tournament.
Cunliffe’s addition gives the Purple Aces a full roster of 13 scholarship players and the former Top 40 prep prospect who transferred to Kansas from Arizona State will be joined at Evansville by fellow transfer Artur Labinowicz, a 6-foot-4 guard who played the past two seasons at Coastal Carolina and will join Cunliffe in sitting out during the upcoming season.
Thank you Jesus for this opportunity #legendary pic.twitter.com/M0d44LniK7
— Sam I Am (@SamCunliffe_3) August 14, 2018
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/jul/23/junior-guard-sam-cunliffe-leaving-kansas/
