A future playing professional basketball is a realistic possibility for James Madison's Dawn Evans.

But so is a kidney transplant.

Evans, who just finished her junior year at JMU, has been living for months with Focal Segmental Glomerular Sclerosis, or FSGS, a disease that causes serious kidney scarring.

Evans, the holder of several school records at JMU, says she is attacking FSGS the same way she attacks opposing defenses.

"I'm not going to end my career, just from somebody diagnosing me with a disease," Evans says.

"She's not just going to lay down with this," fellow guard Courtney Hamner says with a laugh.

"People look at her, and they think what a great year she had," says her coach, Kenny Brooks. "But to know the whole story, then it becomes unbelievable."

That whole story began to unfold last December 8, just two days after Evans matched her school record with 38 points to lead JMU past No. 14 Virginia in Charlottesville.

Brooks released a statement that afternoon saying Evans would be sidelined indefinitely after undergoing "extensive testing to address a kidney disorder."

"We are hopeful that Dawn has a speedy recovery, and her health is our number one priority," Brooks said in the statement.

No one revealed it at the time, but the disorder was FSGS.

"I was more upset than scared," says Evans. "They told me it wasn't a deadly disease, but they did tell me that it could affect my basketball career."

"She never really made it seem like that big a deal," says Hamner. "But we all knew it was a big deal."

"I know a lot of people that probably would have just stopped," says teammate Lauren Jimenez.

Evans was sidelined for just ten days after that initial diagnosis, missing only the Dukes' December 13 win at home over Siena.

And she wasn't happy about missing that short amount of time.

"She would try to sneak into practice, and do little drills with us," recalls Evans' roommate, forward Jalissa Taylor. "And then Coach Brooks would find out and turn around and be like, 'Dawn, you know you're supposed to be sitting out.'"

"I felt like her dad, Rodney Evans, telling her she can't have a piece of candy when she was young," Brooks says with a smirk. "And she would cut her eyes at me."

"I feel like she put the team over herself. When really, I mean, seriously. She should have been concentrating on herself more," says Hamner.

Evans did sit out a February 11 loss at William & Mary because of FSGS-related fatigue. But she still led JMU in minutes played last season, and her 24.6 points-per-game were the fifth-best average in the country.

And Evans let her guard down following the team's CAA championship-clinching win over Old Dominion at the Convocation Center March 14, openly sobbing as she shook hands with the Monarchs and celebrated the Dukes' championship.

She admits the season was draining.

"Not knowing what my future held, it was just emotional," says Evans. "I broke down a couple of times in this office, and to my teammates. Just wondering why, why me."

"I just don't know who could do that," says Taylor. "She's just a strong person. Strong-willed, strong emotionally."

The CAA presented Evans with its annual John H. Randolph Inspiration Award last month. Brooks says Evans also served as a daily motivator to her teammates.

"So many times, when you're feeling tired, and you feel like you can't do anything else," explains Brooks. "Then you look to your left, and Dawn Evans is fighting a kidney disease, but she's leading the sprints."

"I don't like somebody telling me I can't do something," says Evans. "If I don't want to do something, that's one thing. But for somebody to tell me that I can't, it just totally upset me. Especially something I love."

According to Brooks, Evans is not currently a candidate for a kidney transplant. But Evans says that can change if her condition worsens.

"It just all depends on my body, and how my body is taking to these pills that I'm taking. And I've been feeling a lot better," explains Evans. "So hopefully we're going in the right direction."

Evans also won't rule out sitting out a season, if she has to.

But no one at JMU thinks they've seen the last of Evans on a basketball court.

"When doctors say you can't do this or you can't do that, I think it makes her want to fight even harder," says Brooks.

"I am so proud. She has inspired me, actually," says Taylor. "And I just am happy to know her, and be very close to her."