Adams often has the advantage inside thanks to his long reach and it was definitely a big factor in their game against Kelso last Thursday. He was fielding a lot of attention down low but it didn’t seem to faze him. He appeared to be comfortable with the swarm of defenders around him and did a great job shifting the ball around as he rose up for shots at the rim. And when he did draw contact and the foul, he made the most of it at the line, especially in the second quarter when he swished 4-of-4 attempts from the stripe. Adams continues to look like a gamechanger each night and one sequence from late in the game really showcased his two-way potential as he caught the rebound off a missed 3 and flushed it back down with two hands, then ran back to the other end and swatted a shot away with his left hand. North Thurston takes on Eastside Catholic in the opening round of the 3A tournament and Adams will have plenty of size to contend with there.

The long North Thurston forward has taken off this season and helped the Rams to a first-place finish in the SSC. Adams has dealt with a lot of different looks thrown at him, working through a swarm of smaller, quicker players, banging with some of the taller and more physical bigs in the state, and each time showing he’s a dangerous player. He’s averaging 18.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and doing it on the defensive end with 3.1 blocks and 2.7 steals per game.

Adams continues his meteoric development and was a monster inside against a tough Tahoma squad. His length and fight at the rim allowed him to pull down board after board. He tipped and stole a couple of passes and was able to block and contest a bunch more. Offensively, he showed vast improvements starting with the jumper. He sunk the only three I saw him take but looked to incorporate a mid-range shot with some decent effectiveness as well. Around the paint, he used long steps and a solid pivot to remain strong and work around defenders to get shots off. His handle looks to be coming around too, though that’s still an area that needs some work when he’s attempting to split defenders on drives from the perimeter.

Prev Rank: 17 (+1)rnAdams has always been an intriguing prospect with his phenomenal length and the evident potential with his ball skills. He’s another guy who has made steady progress and it shows, but this spring he has displayed growth in a few key areas that really has me excited for what is to come in his senior year. He’s still a consistent double-double threat with the ability to block multiple shots a game, but his handle and outside shot have improved to such a degree that now he looks more capable of creating shots off of the dribble, drawing defenders and making key passes in the open court, and could even be a possible floor-stretcher.

Adams’ biggest areas that needed improvement from last year were his strength and aggression. It only took a few minutes of watching him go to work against Foster to see big strides in those aspects of his game. He finished a handful of plays with big dunks, ran hard to get involved on breaks, and was quicker and more decisive with his moves. It’s seemingly a big step for the lanky forward who not only looked stronger but bouncier too. He has an eagerness to finish at the rim and was constantly flying towards the hoop. He also did a great job getting rebounds and pushing the ball up the court quickly. Whether he decided to take it up himself or pass the ball up, he exercised a rapid pace with his ability to go off the rebound.