Tyree Evans has signed a letter of intent, but enrollment rests with the admissions office.

Tyree Evans' four-year journey to a Division I basketball program isn't over yet.

Maryland announced April 16 that the former George Wythe High star signed a national letter of intent to play for the school. But Evans can't enroll until the school's Office of Student Conduct reviews his criminal record and tells the admissions office whether it thinks he should be admitted, Athletic Director Debbie Yow said in a statement yesterday.

Evans, 23, first must submit his admissions application, which he has not yet done, said senior associate athletic director Kathy Worthington. The Office of Student Conduct then will meet with Evans and consider his case -- the same process used for any applicant with a criminal record. The admissions office makes the final decision.

In a brief telephone conversation yesterday, Evans, sounding optimistic, said he was at Maryland, filling out paperwork to attend summer school, the first session of which begins June 2.

Yow said in her statement that she didn't even know coach Gary Williams was recruiting Evans -- let alone that he had a criminal history until after he verbally accepted Williams' scholarship offer.

Evans, a 6-3 guard who would have two years of eligibility remaining, is one of the best high school players to come through Richmond. But he has been convicted of assault and battery and possession of marijuana, both misdemeanors, since finishing his Wythe career in 2004.

He went to prep school at The Winchendon (Mass.) School in fall 2004 and was charged in June 2005 with statutory rape of a 15-year-old classmate in a dorm room the previous October. A teammate and two former Winchendon players also were charged. Evans has denied being in the room with the girl. He accepted a plea deal in July 2006 for the reduced assault charge and two years probation.

He originally planned to play at Cincinnati, but the school backed off because of the Winchendon charges.

Evans spent two weeks last summer in Richmond City Jail for misdemeanor marijuana possession. He originally was charged with felony possession with intent to distribute after being arrested in August 2005.

He took the 2005-06 school year off while dealing with the Winchendon case, then played part of the next year at Butler Community College in Kansas before coach Randy Smithson kicked him off the team for "conduct detrimental to the team's cohesiveness." Evans played all of this past season at Motlow State Community College in Tullahoma, Tenn. He did not have legal problems and led Motlow's league in scoring with 21.2 points per game.

"Coach Williams' strong desire was to allow [Evans] to be considered for admission," Yow said. "Coach Williams has clearly indicated his intent to personally mentor Tyree, should he be admitted to Maryland. That commitment is critically important in considering this situation."

Williams was out of the office yesterday and unavailable for comment.

Yow said she expects her coaches to recruit athletes who are "capable of earning degrees and being good citizens." In general, Yow said, "if a coach learns that a prospect has had any issue that would be considered serious in nature, they cease recruiting the individual."

Evans has maintained an optimistic outlook in recent months, saying he wants to atone for past errors and that he deserves a second chance. "God deals some people five cards," he said in February. "I think he dealt me 10." He later finished the thought: "I've got one more card. It's the king."