Future KU forward K.J. Adams picks familiar school: ‘I’ve always been a Big 12 kid’
Just five of the 10 finalists for K.J. Adams appeared to have a realistic shot at securing an oral commitment from the 6-foot-7, 220-pound, 4-star senior basketball power forward out of Westlake High School in Austin, Texas.
“I’ve always been a Big 12 kid just because I’ve been around Texas basketball my whole life,” Adams said after committing to Big 12 member Kansas on Friday night in a ceremony shown on KVUE-TV, Austin.
He chose the Jayhawks over fellow Big 12 institutions Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma, while also listing Arkansas, Georgetown, Iona, Iowa and Central Florida as finalists.
“Texas … Baylor, I think I was born into the Big 12,” he added of following schools close to home and listening to their recruiting pitches.
Adams — who averaged 22.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a junior — also was recruited by LSU, Florida, Miami, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, Washington and others.
“That’s an amazing part of it,” Adams said of getting to play in the conference he followed as a child. “I get to come to Austin once (per season for game against Texas), then in the state maybe two or three (more) times (vs. Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU in addition to Texas).”
KU has had some success recruiting Texas prospects during the Bill Self era — Marcus Garrett, Jalen Wilson, Latrell Jossell and walk-on Michael Jankovich are on the 2020-21 roster. Still this commitment may have surprised Self, the 18th-year KU head coach.
“He was really excited, and he was shocked,” Adams said of the Self’s reaction when Adams informed Self he was committing to the Jayhawks. “He wasn’t expecting to land me because I’m a Texas kid, so he was really excited when I talked to him on the phone.”
That phone call to commit to KU actually came a week-and-a-half ago, Adams told The Star on Saturday.
Adams, who is ranked No. 83 in the recruiting class of 2021 by Rivals.com, visited the Texas schools’ campuses, but because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, never stepped foot in Lawrence during the recruiting process.
“Coach Self thought it (oral commitment) was a joke because I hadn’t been there,” Adams told Sports Illustrated. “He was, ‘Wow, that’s crazy.’ He didn’t think they had a chance because I didn’t have a chance to visit them.
“When he realized I was serious he was just really happy. It felt good to see how much he really wanted me there. It was really good hearing his reassurance.”
Adams will be the first player from Austin, Texas to play for KU since Westlake High graduate Luke Axtell (2001).
“I was able to do Zooms to see the campus, but, more than that, I just loved the staff and everything about Kansas,” Adams said. “Coach Self is great. He’s a coach I never hear anything bad about. I knew that it was the right fit for me.”
A good athlete who played lacrosse and football as a youngster, Adams considers himself a fit for Self’s fast-paced style of play.
“Their plan … basically they have four guards and a big. They see me rounding out that guard spot, trying to use me in the best possible way. They see me as a real good, big-time prospect for them,” Adams said.
How good is he?
Rivals.com analyst Eric Bossi sees Adams as a rotation player at KU.
“Powerfully built and crafty around the rim, Adams is good finisher who is pretty well developed as a scorer from 15 feet and in,” Bossi said Friday.
“He likes spin moves, is explosive to the hoop when he can gather himself to leap off both feet. Maybe the most intriguing part of his game, though, is that he’s a very good passer who can pick teams apart from the high post.
“In Adams, who has been a standout for the Team Griffin EYBL program, Kansas is getting a player that they hope can develop into the type of mismatch that Kristian Doolittle was over the last few years while developing into an all-Big 12 level player at Oklahoma,” Bossi added.
Back in December, Bossi said of Adams: “Physically Adams looks like an elite tight end recruit, and he does a great job of using his strength to his advantage. If he can continue to expand his game to become a consistent inside/out threat then he could develop into a true instant impact type as a freshman. Either way, he’s a team guy who holds a strong sense of what works for him and what doesn’t and he doesn’t go away from that during games which allows him to produce consistently.”
Victor Jaymes McDowell of Spectrum Sports wrote of Adams on Twitter: “KU and Bill Self get a kid who lives in the gym and is always looking to improve his game.”
Added Scott Burgess of prephoops.com Illinois on Twitter: “Huge addition for Jayhawks in Texas 2021 PF KJ Adams! Physical and versatile forward will be impact player in Big 12! Helped lead TeamGriffinEYBL to 16U Peach Jam crown last year.”
Adams knows future Jayhawk forward
Adams joins Zach Clemence in KU’s recruiting class of 2021. Clemence, a 6-10 senior from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, committed to KU on May 11. He’s ranked No. 29 in the recruiting cass of 2021 by Rivals.com.
KU also has an incoming basketball walk-on in football signee Keon Coleman, a 6-4 guard from Opelousas (Louisiana) High School.
The Jayhawks have three scholarships to award in 2021, more if players turn pro or leave the program.
“I’ve been playing against Zach Clemence ever since sixth grade,” Adams told 247sports.com. “It will be fun to finally be on the same team as him, because we have always been on different teams.
“I think Zach and I complement each other very well. I am a good driver, and if the defense comes in to help on my drive, I can dish to Zach, dunk or shoot. Things like that are very exciting,” Adams added.
Adams follows social issues
Adams, according to spectrumlocalnews.com, “has continued to increase his knowledge about social unrest in the country. He participated in some of the protests that took place in Austin in recent weeks.”
“All the stuff that is going on is scary because being a young Black man, you don’t know what is going to happen. You realize you’re looked at differently in some parts of the world,” Adams said in an interview with spectrumlocalnews.com.
“I try to educate myself before I talk so I can get my point across, so they understand where I’m coming from. Going to a predominantly white school you see a lot of (President Donald) Trump supporters and it’s hard to take that in. But it’s good for you in the future, because if you can be friends with someone that has a different political view you can do a lot of things in life,” added Adams. His mom Yvonne, a former Texas A&M player, works as director of equity and inclusion at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin.
Pandemic spoiled recruiting plan
Adams probably would not be committed to KU at this time if there had been no pandemic.
“I had all these things figured out, at least I thought I did, then the pandemic came,” he told SI.com. “I was going to have all my (campus) visits my senior year so I can live it up and really figure out what school I want. Then the pandemic came. When that happened that definitely took a toll. I had to do Zoom visits. Trusting God and my parents, I figured out Kansas was the best place for me and I jumped on it.”
Adams knows Daimion Collins
Adams would love to see KU land a commitment from Daimion Collins, a 6-9, 205 senior power forward from Atlanta (Texas) High. Right now, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech are said to be leading KU and others.
“Daimion Collins has been a close friend of mine. We would do a lot of havoc there,” Adams told SI.com. Collins is ranked No. 20 in the recruiting class of 2021 by Rivals.com.
This story was originally published August 1, 2020 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Future KU forward K.J. Adams picks familiar school: ‘I’ve always been a Big 12 kid’."
