The senior guard commits to play basketball for the Owls during official visit
Watch Ako Adams lead his team to victory over Riverdale Baptist last season. (Video by Will Davidson for Synthesis/Koubaroulis LLC / The Washington Post)
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September 9, 2015, 6:19 p.m. — O’Connell senior point guard Ako Adams committed to play basketball for the Rice Owls this past weekend. He had amassed 10 offers from the likes of George Mason, Old Dominion and George Washington, but his official visit to Houston convinced him that he had found his new home, as first reported by Brandon Parker of the Washington Post.
Adams had a strong junior season, earning first-team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference honors. In addition to his time with the Knights, he also plays AAU ball as a member of the D.C. Thunder. After achieving so much success as a junior, his off-season started slow, but he regained his strong play and proved to be a worthy player in the eyes of the Owls coaching staff.
Adams made his commitment following a dinner at the home of Rice Head coach Mike Rhoades, a former VCU assistant.
“The coaches are really down to earth guys,” Adams said, “and there are great players down there, there’s good people down there all-together, plus it’s a great school academically.”
Adams has a skill-set that will fit well with the Owls fast-paced scheme. He led the Knights in scoring as a junior with 16.7 points per game. The 6’3” lefty has the ability to get to the rim, but can also fill it up from the outside, knocking down 66 three-pointers last season. He has one more season to sharpen his skills in Arlington, Virginia before shipping off to Texas for the next phase of his journey.
“I like the freedom they allow you to play with,” said Adams about the Rice coaching staff, “even if you make a mistake in a game they want you to keep playing through it. And they work hard down there so they’ll get me better.”
According to Adams, he had visits lined up at several schools, including DePaul, Louisiana Tech and Old Dominion, but the Rice program made him feel comfortable and showed that they believe in him.
“The coaches give me great confidence to keep playing and working hard and I think I’ll fit in great,” Adams said. “They have other good guys I can play well with so I think we can have a good team.”
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Despite having the weight of the recruiting process off his shoulders, Adams still has goals for his final season with O’Connell. The Knights will have an inexperienced team this coming season with just two seniors.
“I definitely want to win a championship, be First Team All-Met and I want to get Player of the Year,” Adams said.
To accomplish these lofty goals Adams understands he will need to step up his leadership qualities and be more of a vocal influence for the young squad. He also hopes to get stronger physically and to get more explosive on the court.
“I’m a positive guy,” Adams said, “I just want everybody to do well, especially the younger guys. I love to win, I hate losing. I have a very competitive nature.”
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