Despite having two full high school seasons left to play, Darius Adams has been piling on the frequent flyer miles as if he were a super senior trying to see as many campuses as possible in the 11th hour.
Over the last month or so, Adams has been to Indiana, Notre Dame and Michigan State and has plans to head to Tennessee on Sept. 30.
Still, don’t read his eagerness to see college campuses as a sign that he’s looking to pull the plug on his recruitment process early.
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“I just want to see as much as I can, so I’ll be able to really know everything that I need to know when the time comes to cut my list,” said Adams, who checks in at No. 19 overall in the Rivals150. “I want to see everything then next year I’ll take officials and things like that. It’s just to gather information on the schools that are recruiting me.”
That list continues to swell, almost daily.
Adams’ latest offer came from Kansas and the 6-foot-4 point guard isn’t lacking for suitors.
Adams recently transferred to national hoops powerhouse La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.), but hails from New Jersey where he pumped in 22 points and 12 rebounds a game to lead Manasquan (NJ) to a state title last season.
Still, even with his sister, Destiny Adams, recently transferring to Rutgers from North Carolina, Adams said he doesn’t feel the pressure to stay home.
“Not right now, I don’t,” Darius said. “It would be great to stay home, but I’m so far away from a decision I know that won’t really factor in. My thing with all the visits now is that I don’t want to be scrambling to see the schools because, for me, I know it’ll be important for me to see it and get a feel. I’m getting that part out of the way now because I was so busy this summer.”
Adams dominated the Nike E16 with the PSA Cardinals, averaging 17 points a game. He thrived in the fast-paced system where he masterfully created in the open court and played off of his instincts.
“It was a big summer for me,” Adams said. “Most of the coaches are recruiting me as a guy who can play both positions, which is where I’m most comfortable. I think the summer did a lot for me with recruiting, but I think the bigger thing is that I feel like I grew a lot as a player, and I grew a lot mentally.”
The urgency of coaches to follow up with Adams during the contact period, which commenced on September 7, gives the best credence to his self assessment.
“I’ve had Michigan State, Tennessee, Villanova, Michigan and Kansas in to see me at the school and watch us workout,” Adams said. “It’s been fun so far dealing with the coaches and seeing the schools. I’m a little different because I’m not the guy who has the dream school, so I feel like it’s even more important for me to get all the information early. I’m taking my time, but I know what I’m doing now will help me a lot in the end.”
