A double-double in the game of basketball is no fluke. They just don’t come along courtesy of serendipity.

Even on just a game-by-game basis, the achievement of a double-double requires an unflagging work ethic. But the 17 points and 11 rebounds that forward Ryan Evans earned Feb. 9 against Minnesota represent more than just a good old-fashioned hard day’s work.

It was a signal of how much Evans has refined his game since last season and also since being cut from his high school junior varsity team as a sophomore.

“It is (a mark of his growth),” assistant coach Lamont Paris said. “It is an indication of how active he is. You’re working hard to get a double-double; there’s no way about it. You can’t fake your way into a double-double.

“He really has worked hard at attacking some of his deficiencies and he’s played hard. [He’s] paid some dues, things haven’t always gone his way and he’s persevered.”

Evans is currently riding the best four-game streak of his career. With the double-double as the capstone as of this moment, Evans has scored in double digits in each the last four games, including six out of the last eight.

And, over those last four contests, he is averaging more points and blocks than his season average.

His emergence as a consistent producer on the court has arrived thanks to an upgraded offensive game that prevented him from getting off the bench more often as an underclassman.

Evans, who is the only player on the Wisconsin men’s basketball roster not from the Midwest (he comes from Hamilton, Ariz.), joined the Badgers as a late signee in March 2008 after turning around his high school career.

He redshirted his first year but earned time on the floor immediately during the following two years, thanks to a well-rounded defensive game.

Somewhat mirroring his high school career, his performance dipped as a sophomore – especially on offense. Evans played 11.6 minutes per game, down from 13.2 the year prior, and had a shooting percentage that inched over 30 percent. He also averaged a turnover once every 17 minutes.

“I kind of went through the same thing in high school, not playing much as a freshman, getting cut as a sophomore,” Evans said. “I may as well have been cut last year, as bad of a season as I had.”

According to the 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward, the weight of his own expectations that year slowly flattened his confidence. It didn’t go as expected for him, so as 2011-12 neared, he cleared his mind of anything else, freeing himself from the self-analysis.

“That was my downfall last year,” he said. “I set expectations for myself and when they weren’t getting accomplished I was kind of going down, going down, going down. Instead I came into this season with a positive mentality.”

Meanwhile, Paris and the rest of the coaching staff were able to pinpoint Evans’ shortcomings on the court as well. He would too often attempt shots when he was off-balance, like a turn-around jumper and he was unable to maintain possession when he put the ball on the ground.

“His percentage of turnovers when he dribbled the ball was high, yet he continued to do it because he wanted to prove that ‘I’m capable of doing this,’ when in reality he was not capable of doing it successfully on a consistent basis,” Paris said. “This year, he hasn’t done that near as much, you don’t see him driving baseline [and] getting stuck. He’s gotten better, his shot selection has gotten better.”

Today, Evans leads the team in rebounding per game (6.8), and is third in scoring (10.3 points per game) and shooting percentage (.433 average from the floor). He averages one turnover every 22.5 minutes.

He’s also come close to earning “the elusive double-double” – as Paris calls it – at other points this year. During the conference season, Evans has fallen one rebound or two baskets short of the feat three times – against Michigan, Indiana and Northwestern.

Paris notes there is still improvement to be had for Evans, in terms of ball handling and the development of a more consistent three-point shot (he is 22.2 percent from behind the perimeter this year).

According to Paris, there’s still plenty of potential for him on defense.

“He can be one of the best defenders in the league, bar none, guarding any position almost,” he said. “His ceiling is very high from the defensive side of things.”

But nevertheless, Evans – as well as everyone else on the team – is finally getting a chance to enjoy his success.

“This is a special season … it means a lot to me,” Ryan said, when asked if being a starter meant anything extra to him. “It’s been a good run so far and I think it could get a lot better still.”