Kings coach Paul Westphal sees Tyreke Evans as the kind of player who won't come to him during a game with an excuse.

Before Westphal was hired, Evans showed Kings officials – and any other team with which he spoke – that he didn't hide from responsibility.

Evans knew teams would want to know about the shooting involving his cousin, Jamar Evans, in November 2007.

Jamar Evans, now 18, was sentenced Tuesday to nine to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in January to third-degree murder and firearms charges in the death of 19-year-old Marcus Reason.

Jamar Evans, a passenger in a sport-utility vehicle driven by Tyreke Evans, shot Reason as he approached the vehicle. Reports indicate Jamar Evans thought Reason was armed and that Tyreke Evans didn't know his cousin had a gun until seeing him slide the gun into his hooded sweatshirt after firing. Tyreke Evans was never charged with a crime.

After his introductory news conference at Arco Arena, Evans, 19, addressed the incident in the same soft-spoken tone he discussed being drafted fourth overall Thursday.

How Evans handled questions about the incident highlights one of the qualities that sold the Kings, a team seeking toughness and more leadership, on him before the draft. His personality is such that he won't hide from anything.

"I don't get the impression from him he's an excuse maker in any way," Westphal said. "He pretty much faces things head-on, and I have lot of respect for that."

Evans said he told "every team" about the incident during interviews at last month's NBA combine in Chicago. The 6-foot-5 guard from Memphis said he knows questions about that night will come as long as he's in the spotlight as a professional athlete.

"I didn't want to hide nothing from nobody," Evans said. "I wanted to be straight up because I wanted them to be straight up with me. I just thought I'd let them know the incident did happen."

After the Kings researched the incident and Evans' character, they came away with no concerns.

"The police and everybody involved seemed to believe he truly was not guilty of anything," Westphal said. "And everything you hear about him, no matter who you talk to, is that he's no trouble at all."

Evans said rehashing the incident wasn't a distraction from the excitement of being drafted by the Kings. He said he had 135 text messages from well-wishers and that he was trying to return every message because he didn't want anyone to feel he didn't appreciate their congratulations.

Evans said being drafted wasn't big for just him. His mother, Benita, and four brothers participated in the excitement.

The pride Tyreke Evans felt wasn't just about his family, he said. It was also about his hometown of Chester, Pa. He described it as a "small place" that also produced Orlando Magic All-Star guard Jameer Nelson.

Evans was one of the top recruits in the country last year. He said it seemed as if high school took forever because he began playing varsity basketball at American Christian School in the seventh grade.

After one season at Memphis, Evans was ready for the NBA.

In many ways, the day Evans would be drafted was a matter of when, not if, and it was one he was glad to share with his family before an early flight Friday from New York to Sacramento.

"It was an exciting moment," Evans said. "They were all happy for me. They knew I was a good basketball player. They just didn't know it would happen this fast."

Family will continue to play a role in Evans' life as a professional. One brother, Reggie Evans, traveled to Sacramento for Tyreke's first workout with the Kings.

Tyreke is unsure which of his brothers will join him as he makes the transition to living in Sacramento, but he will be reminded that he's still the baby of the bunch.

"They toughened me up, beat me up every day," he said with a grin. "I learned a lot."

Read the Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/kingsblog.