Cedar Hill Guard to Texas State nee SW Texas

Roderick Adams, a strong 6-foot-1, 172-pound combo guard from Cedar Hill, has made his college decision. After considering playing for West Point, he's instead decided to stay close to home, and will attend Texas State the fall of 2004.

Simply put, Texas State was the right school for Adams.

"I fell in love with the coaching staff, the location, and the opportunity I had at the university," said Adams. "It was a good fit for me and my family."

Adams' selection was also influenced by former high school teammate and friend Evan Patterson's recent transfer to Texas State. With all the factors considered, the choice didn't surprise his high school coach one bit.

"Roderick had told me that if he was offered by (Texas State) that he would sign," said Cedar Hill head coach David Milson. "That was his number one choice."

Adams chose Texas State over Stephen F. Austin and two military academies, the Army and the Air Force. The combo guard will likely see instant playing time for the Bobcats.

"Coach (Houston) Nutt told me he believes in starting freshmen," said Adams. "So if I go in and work hard, I can earn my spot. They expect me to come in and earn a lot of minutes."

While Adams is of "tweener" size in the backcourt, Milson believes his physical attributes and skills will allow him to play both positions in college.

"He's a tremendous jumper," said Milson, who notes that Adams has an approach vertical leap of 11-feet, four-inches. "He can dunk on anybody. He's very good at getting offensive rebounds - he likes to get to the glass. But he also has good guard skills - he penetrates very well and can definitely defend."

In fact, it's Adams' defensive ability that many schools like Texas State were attracted to.

"He has the ability to guard any of the one, two, or three positions because of his strength, his quickness, and his desire to play defense," said Milson.

Another thing attractive about Adams is his strength. He can bench over 255 pounds, hit 345 pounds on the incline, and can squat 380 pounds. But his strength, leaping ability, and skills aside, Adams knows he still needs to continue improving for the next level.

"I've been more of a slasher, getting to the rim. I like to use my jumping ability a lot," said Adams. "But I've been working on my jumper, knocking down the three and the pull-up. I'm working on all my skills and being a well-rounded player."

Heading to Texas State next year will mean that Adams will be separated from his twin brother Richard (who will likely make a spring decision, and is considering the Air Force among other options). While it will be a difficult transition for the brothers, Roderick has a good outlook on the situation.

"It's going to be tough," said Adams. "We've been together 18 years, side-by-side. It's something we will need to get used to. But it's also something that will strengthen our relationship."

Adams is Cedar Hill's second commitment from the Class of 2004. Starting point guard Jason Horton had verbally committed to Missouri.

Jed Tai is a senior writer with Hoopville.com

Note: Southwest Texas State University changed the school name to Texas State University-San Marcos — or Texas State, for short last month.