SOUTHWEST FLORIDA — Ronzell Evans dreamed of making it to a professional basketball team, but he started the sport late.
"You can call it a late bloomer, so people used to tell me oh, you can go to the NBA or play overseas and at one point, it felt so out of reach," he said.
He began playing basketball at Cypress Lake High School in his 9th-grade year. He later transferred to Lehigh Senior High School.
He fell in love with the sport.
“It’s really been the avenue for me to graduate get a degree and it just gives me a sense of a place to go to just release and not worry about everything. I would say yes, my safe place honestly," Evans said.
Evans continued showing up on the court, but he hit a breaking point.
“The journey isn't ideal, so for me after I graduated from college, I didn't want to play basketball anymore," Evans said.
The dream of professional basketball was beginning to slip away, but Evans's best friend was able to snap him out of it.
"I'm like I don't want to play no more. He told me to think about it, so I thought about it and had it not been for his advice, I wouldn't be here today," he said.
Recently, Evans had to opportunity to join the Cibpac League of Mexico. He plays for Potros Reynosa's.
“It still hasn't really hit me. My families excited. I'm excited, but, honestly, it still feels surreal to me," he said.
Evans is settling into his new place in Mexico and gearing up for next season.
"As soon as I landed, we had practice, so no time to really take it all in,” Evans said.
He is eager for the opportunity to bring some shiny hardware home.
“The goal is to hopefully win the championship with my team. That's the biggest goal, so we're practicing now and I'm feeling good about it,” Evans said.
