Kingston, R.I.

Kastine Evans grinned at the thought of today's guest list, somewhere north of 70 by the time her team tips off in the Sweet 16. Friends, family, old coaches, old teammates, old pals from Norwich Free Academy.

"Maybe more," Evans was saying outside the Kentucky locker room, where the Cats play the Dogs (Gonzaga) at a little after 7 tonight in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament at the Ryan Center.

Then with a wry grin, Evans said, "They take our phones away during away games."

So there. Don't call Kastine for tickets.

Besides, you might not recognize the person on the other end of the line.

Kastine Evans, away from our corner of the world for two years now, has already illustrated the purpose and the grandeur of college: self-discovery. Evans has developed such a deep sense of obligation to things greater than her self-interests that coach Matthew Mitchell calls her the team's "prototypical glue player."

That's sports-ese for the player who keeps everyone together.

Her teammates call her the mother hen.

Assistant coach Kyra Elzy says that when the coaches need to alert the team of something - could be anything, really - they go to Evans, who is a little like Radar from M*A*S*H: the epicenter of the place.

This was not always how Kastine Evans rolled. She was the centerpiece of state championship teams at NFA in volleyball, track and especially basketball. The job was to get her the ball, get her the shots. She was named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2010, maybe the best all-around female athlete in the academy's notable history.

Then came college. Evans was one of five freshmen. She averaged more than 20 points per game at NFA, a school we consider mammoth. Just goes to show us there's a whole, other world out there. Suddenly she was averaging 2.6 points per game at a university. All in all, she was just another brick in the wall. Until Kastine Evans knocked down the wall.

"We are so fortunate we were able to get her," Mitchell said. "For us to be successful, we need people who have really strong character or have a strong desire to develop it. She has the prototypical attitude of the kind of kid we want. She never complains. She has an amazingly tough work ethic. A really, really great young woman. I think the world of her."

And that's how Evans has emerged into the team's conscience. It's not as easy to command such respect as a player who averages 6.9 points per game. Not when A'Dia Mathies, Bria Goss, Keyla Snowden and former UConn forward Samarie Walker all average more.

But when you are the first one in and the last one to leave …

When you have been named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll …

The Kentucky Athletic Director's Honor Roll …

When you have the team's highest grade point average in the fall semester (3.714) of last year and spring semester (4.0) …

When you have volunteered to pack and deliver food for God's Pantry BackPack program ...

When you have volunteered to pack bags for the Joplin, Mo., tornado victims ...

When you are a volunteer at Ronald McDonald House of Lexington …

"One thing you learn in college," Evans said, "is that it's a system. It's like a job. People have their roles. There was a lot more pressure in high school. First, you get recruited, so you always have to make sure you play your best game. Then there's the responsibility to have to the team."

And yet Evans, who has started all but two of Kentucky's 33 games, has earned an even greater responsibility in college. She's the example. Or make that The Example. How are you supposed to act? Just look at whatever Evans is doing at the time.

The Kentucky travel party is quite happy Kastine Evans gets her homecoming today. She admitted to jumping up and down when she saw the Cats in the Kingston Region, which is better than spending four days in Des Moines.

"Coach Mitchell asked me how far it is from my house to Kingston," Evans said. "I said 'about an hour, if you go the speed limit.'"

More than 70 people will make the ride today.

To see Mother Hen Evans.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.