Normally, size-15 sneakers are reserved for the hardwood of a basketball court.

Jeremy Evans, a 6-foot-9-inch freshman with an 86-inch wing span, is trading his high-tops in for a pair of track spikes.

Many might know Evans as the slender, up-and-coming defender of the post in Diddle Arena for Western’s men’s basketball team.

Evans became the sole male high jumper on the team when he and basketball coach Darrin Horn made the decision that Evans would be allowed to continue to pursue a sport he has participated in since eighth grade.

“Track requires more of an individual mindset and more attention to technique than basketball, and there is a lot lower risk of injury,” Evans said. “In basketball, it’s about who wants it more each night, while track is about ability. You either have it or you don’t.”

Assistant coach Erik Jenkins, who splits his duties between sprinters and jumpers and works on and off with Evans, said there is a natural marriage between high jump and basketball. He said Evans’ basketball training has provided him with a platform that has allowed him to jump right into jump training without being too far behind.

“Normally, we spend a great deal of time doing plyometric work, building up the elasticity in the muscles that allows the athletes to have the explosive abilities to complete their jumps and runs,” Jenkins said. “Playing basketball, he was getting that training every day, jumping over and over again, and so we’re able to just build from there.”

Jarrett Murphy is a graduate assistant to the track team, working with decathletes and other multi-event athletes.

He said that while there are many aspects of basketball that are complementary to track, there are mental roadblocks to overcome in the transition.

“In basketball, there are many explosive actions happening simultaneously,” he said. “When it comes to jumping, however, it is all about having the body awareness and muscle memory leading up to one explosion.”

The Ole Miss Relays on April 7 marked Evans’ first collegiate event. It also marked the first time Evans competed in track since he did high jump, ran the 400-meter dash and was a member of the 4×400-relay team at Crossett High School in Crossett, Ark.

While at Crossett, Evans posted a jump of 6 feet, 11 inches; a height he has not yet approached here at Western.

His highest effort thus far in competition came April 15 in a top finish at the Boston-Moon Classic in Nashville. There he cleared a height of 6 feet, 6 inches.

Evans is not the first Western basketball player to make the transition to the track, Jenkins said.

Tiffany Porter-Talbert, who graduated in 2006, was a standout athlete both on the court and on the track, competing in the 100-meter and 4×100 events.

Dennis Mitchell, a cornerback for the football team until he graduated in 2006, also competed in the 100 and 4×100 events.

Both Porter-Talbert and Mitchell continuously qualified for the regional meets.

Evans considers basketball his first sport, an undeniable fact considering he spends three days a week in the gym with the basketball trainer and fits in just two days of on-track work.

“I think of it kind of like off-season training for basketball,” he said. “(Track) is just another sport I try to go out and compete in.”

Reach Ed Lukins at sports@wkuherald.com.