When you think of Archbishop Mitty basketball, John Adams of San Jose (Calif.) is not a name you would think of. However, Adams is a player who has been a critical part of the Mitty's success the last few years.

The 6-foot-6 wingman is a long and athletic defender who usually guards the opponent's toughest offensive player every game. He also may be the fourth Mitty player - Drew Gordon, Collin Chiverton and Enoch Andoh being the others - to receive a basketball scholarship at a Division I school.

After helping Mitty reach the Division II state title game against Mater Dei, Adams went on the club circuit with West Valley Basketball Club, and turned some heads with his play and his potential for the next level. The athletic wing's ability has been acknowledged by a wide variety of schools including Princeton, Penn, Lehigh, William and Mary, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Portland and Division II power UC San Diego.

"I am looking for a school that fits me perfectly," said Adams. Basketball-wise, I am an up and down type of player who likes to get out and run. I would like to stay on the west coast, but it does not matter."

Currently, the schools showing the most interest are UCSD and Princeton, while other schools have attended open gyms. Brian Eagleson, Adams' head coach at Mitty, is intrigued by his length.

"He is a very good defender at 6-foot-6 and he can guard a lot of positions," said Eagleson. "Last year, he guarded everyone from Luke Babbitt, Taylor King, Rob Jones, to Jerry Brown."

He is also an asset in the offensive category according to Eagleson, although Mitty does not feature him.

"[John] was second on our team in field goal percentage," continued Eagleson. "He was the leader on our team in offensive rebounding and second in overall rebounding."

Bob Bramlett, founder and head coach of West Valley, said Adams was offensive minded for his squad. "In high school, his offense is not needed," said Bramlett. "But he surprised some people with his shooting ability this summer."

Bramlett had nothing but high praise for his player, including he fact that Adams was relentless on both ends of the court and the coaches who have called him have marveled at his defensive prowess and ability to guard point guards to power forwards.

"He does what he is supposed to do to help his team win," continued Bramlett. "I will go to war with him on the court as he just plays hard."

Adams is looking forward to this season as he has been working on his game and athleticism and expects to be more of a perimeter player than he has been.

"Last year, I was playing the 4 in games offensively," said Adams. "This season, I will be on the wing.

The defending NorCal D-II champs and favorite to return to the state title game, Mitty will attract other schools that will join the recruiting bandwagon for Adams, who said he is just working on his game and getting ready to have a successful year.

"It would be easier to verbal and sign earlier, but I am going to wait."