Iowa senior Reggie Evans could have thrived in ancient Rome.

In the Coliseum.

Lions, tigers, barbarian hordes and Reggie Evans.

Russell Crowe? Whatever.

Sure, Crowe moved us with his performance in the Academy Award-winning movie "Gladiator." But let's see how long Crowe would last if he had to venture into the lane and battle Evans for a missed shot.

Caesar says thumbs down. Evans doesn't say much, letting those who watch his battles speak for him until the next trip into battle.

	Reggie Evans relaxes during Iowa's media day. Evans does most of his talking under the boards for the Hawkeyes.

"The one word that really sticks out with Reggie is 'warrior,'" Iowa assistant Sam Alford said. "He feels like every rebound that comes off, he should get."

On many nights last season, it seemed as if Evans did get every rebound.

The 6-foot-8, 240-pound Evans led the nation in rebounding with an average of 11.9 per game and 22 double-doubles. His rebounding average was a full 2.2 more than that of the No. 2 glass eater in the Big Ten, Indiana's Kirk Haston. Evans averaged 4.1 offensive rebounds per game. That was half of the average number of overall rebounds grabbed by Penn State's Gyasi Cline-Heard, who finished fourth in the conference in rebounding.

Evans' total of 142 rebounds was 41 more than his closest Big Ten competitor, Zach Randolph, Michigan State's ballyhooed freshman.

"You can teach boxing out, you can teach all those things about rebounding," Alford said. "But it is really hard to get in a kid's head. He is just a fierce warrior on the boards.

"He is the kind of person our players look up to. Some outstanding players are respected by their teammates. Others, they just kind of put up with them.

"He is respected by his teammates. He is one of those people who sets an example by doing. His tenacity definitely rubbed off on a lot of our players."

Off the court, Evans punishes his teammates with practical jokes.

"His nickname is joker," Alford said. "He is a fun-loving kid. He is popular with all the players.

"But once he crosses that black line and walks on that court, it is all business."

Evans' warrior mentality and his ability to put a team on his back and carry it was never more evident than during the Hawkeyes' four-day run to the Big Ten tournament title. With shooting guard Luke Recker sidelined with a broken kneecap, Evans set tournament records for rebounds (51), free throws attempted (38) and free throws made (26). In Iowa's semifinal win over Penn State, Evans set a tournament-record with 18 rebounds -- matching the Nittany Lions' total as a team.

Not surprisingly, Evans was named the outstanding player of the tournament.

"There's nobody I'd rather go to battle with than Reggie Evans," Recker told the Iowa City Press-Citizen. "I'd go to bat for any one of my teammates, especially Reggie. And it feels good to have a guy like Reggie have your back.

"Not too many guys want to make that man upset."

Even the most casual fan can identify Evans numbers and interpret the importance of his contributions. Yet it is the hidden numbers opponents hate but appreciate and respect.

Evans took over down the stretch last season in a game against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, helping the Hawkeyes rally for an 83-79 win. Bo Ryan, entering his first season as Wisconsin's coach, coached UWM last season. He still marvels at how Evans imposed his will upon UWM and the game itself.

Evans finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds and was the primary reason UWM's starting frontline committed a combined 13 fouls.

"We had Iowa down and you look at the film and we could see it happening in the game," Ryan said. "When you've got a guy like Reggie, who is going to the glass on every possession, with that size and strength, he wears you down."

	“	There's nobody I'd rather go to battle with than Reggie Evans. ... it feels good to have a guy like Reggie have your back. Not too many guys want to make that man upset. ”
		— Luke Recker, Iowa senior guard

"To his credit, he just keeps going after it. And you can see the tide changing."

It is like dominoes falling. Evans keeps pushing until the opponents, the dominoes, fall.

"You're trying to get bodies in there," Ryan explained, "But they are fatiguing. And then they're not hitting shots on the offensive and their percentages go down. That is what Reggie brings to a team, is that relentless spirit. He is going to try to get every ball that comes off the rim.

"Some nights he might not have what looks like a great game. But I measure guys in how effective they are by what it takes you to prepare to play against them.

"So maybe the guy doesn't (score) 25 that night or 20. But if he brings 10 and fouls two of your guys out, or if he limited your shots to one a trip down the floor ... he is effective in the little areas of the game that cause problems for the other team."

An all-American at Coffeyville JC (Kansas) in 2000, he averaged 22.5 points and 12 rebounds, while shooting 52 percent from the field. But, Evans, like most players, isn't flawless.

Teams found if they could force him to put the ball on the floor last season, either in the open court or in traffic, they could strip him clean. He led the Hawkeyes in turnovers last season with 138, and his free-throw shooting (63 percent) isn't necessarily a liability, but it needs work.To his credit, Evans realized his limitations and worked hard in the off-season to shore up his game.

"He was a great warrior," Alford said. "He did things through hard work and tenacity. But that will take you just so far. So he knew he had to develop a jump hook. He had to get better at the free-throw line. And he has worked very hard at it."

A more skilled Evans in 2001-2002 could be rather frightening for the rest of the Big Ten. But Evans will always be a warrior, a gladiator, at heart.

Just ask Creighton coach Dana Altman. He watched helplessly as Evans hit 13 of 15 free throws en route to a 19-point, seven-rebound performance in Iowa's 69-56 victory over Creighton in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season.

"We don't see a lot of guys like Reggie during the course of the year," Altman said. "You get him to miss that first shot and sometimes he kind of likes that. Because he just goes and gets that second one and then the third one and runs up his rebounding total.

"He gets more aggressive as the game goes on."

Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.